Halo: The Elements of Change
by Asgardian Dovahkiin
Summary: Seven months have passed. The world is recovering and everything seems to be moving forward with an extinct culture being reborn and technological advancement on the turn-up. But all isn't as it seems, join Avatar Korra as she fights insurrection from land and space! Rating is a subject to change (no pun intended).
1. A New Day

**Somewhere In the Earth Kingdom**

Two UNSC Marines took the elevator upwards, the elevator doors opened and they were met by two White Lotus guards. "Morning you two, ready for today's shift?" One of the White Lotus guards asked.

"You know waking up at five in the morning doesn't help with guard duty." One of the marines replied. The guards laughed and left in the elevator leaving the marines to guard the prisoner. "What's so important about this guy anyway?"

"The White Lotus Grandmaster's dossier about this guy says that he is a terrorist and extremely dangerous. Details were blacklisted by the top brass back in the Fire Nation Capital, but he must've done something bad." The other marine answered, they went through a 50 inch thick steel gate and saw the prison gate on the far side.

The marines opened the door, there was a thick glass door behind it which was both bulletproof and couldn't be shattered by any conventional means. "There he is…Zaheer." The marine holding the dossier said while reading it.

"He doesn't look too bad." The other marine said.

"Ah, the space people I've heard about." Zaheer said as he placed the book he was reading on the ground. His appearance said a lot, his long and grey hair and beard said that he had been here for a long time.

"We are part of the UNSC, the United Nations Space Command, and we are here to prevent you from leaving this place." The marine responded. "That's all you need to know."

"I see that you're a technologically advanced, you hold weapons that shoot munitions, armor made of the strongest metals and training that could match the best of this world could offer. But tell me, where do you come from?" Zaheer asked.

The marine looked at his partner, he nodded. "Earth. We are humans, just like you." The marine answered.

"What's Earth like?" Zaheer asked again, he didn't sound like a terrorist or someone who would do nefarious things against the general populace. He sounded like a knowledgeable and cultured man.

"I guess, it's a lot like this world. Blue skies, rolling green hills, great cities and proud people. I haven't seen much of it since I was born in Draco III and got to see Earth during the war." The marine said. "Spent most of my life in a ship."

"I would like to know more about your people…" Zaheer said.

* * *

_**HALO: The Elements of Change**_

* * *

**Republic City**

Construction crews moved working materials through the affected city sector seven months ago in the event catalogued by the UNSC as the Convergence Incident, an event which had left sectors 4 to 7 of downtown Republic City vacant. It had taken the UNSC Hellfire units months to clear the sewers of Flood activity and clean the city blocks from the Flood growths.

The Covenant forces that stayed had been taken into custody, they surrendered after the battle. The Promethean Knights had disappeared as soon as after the giant Flood monsters had been defeated and the Sentinel Factories returned to their locations underneath the planet's crust.

The UNSC had made more advances in giving technology to the people of Requiem, better medicines, tools, engines, metals and the sorts. Anything that could be useful to the technological advancement of these people was given in degrees, the UNSC had placed Requiem as a full fledge post-war human colony and had plans of turning it into its military fortress replacing the glassed Reach. Super MACs were being built above the planet's atmosphere with a space elevator being readied on the outskirts of the city that would connect to its geosync MAC platform.

Things were moving fast, and the spirits moving into the streets of the city only made things better for the general populace. For them, a part of the city had been given to them to inhabit, a sector damaged months earlier had experienced strange growths ever since the spiritual energies of Harmonic Convergence had bathed the area in energies unknown by the UNSC. Instead of tinkering with it, the UNSC blocked off that area. Now a forest had grown through the derelict streets and buildings there, this area has become the home of the friendly spirits.

* * *

**UNSC Moonbase Alpha**

The UNSC had established a secondary scientific base on the moon of Requiem, anything that was too valuable to be stored on the planet were to be studied here, on the moon. The gigantic Forerunner war machine, the War Sphinx, stood inside its metal walls. Scientists ran around the exquisite marvel of Forerunner engineering, they wanted to know anything and everything about this mech suit and possibly reversed engineer it and replace their Mantis units.

On the opposing wing of the base, the Defense Force wing, Avatar Korra was looking at the window of the room she stood in. She was on the moon, looking at the moon surface and the vast space beyond.

"Korra!" Korra turned to see who was calling her, it was Mako, and he was wearing the standard BDU of the UNSC Marines. "You have to come quickly!"

Korra followed him to the main control room; Korra entered the room to find Lord Terrance Hood and Captain Lasky looking at the deep space probes just beyond this system. "Lord Hood?" Korra asked.

"You must be Avatar Korra, I am Fleet Admiral Terrance Hood. I've read the reports; I never imagined that a young one as yourself would be capable of doing all of those things." Lord Hood said as he shook hands with the head of the UNSC itself.

"Thanks…so what's going on?" Korra asked.

"You have to look at this, all across the planet, reports of people using the wind to unintentionally hurt others or themselves. Airbenders, all around the planet popping out of nowhere." Lasky said pointing at a holographic map of the planet. "We have the places where most of them were located, here."

He gave her a map, with red dots on where the airbenders had been located. "Airbenders…after so long airbenders." Korra said. "Tenzin is going to be so happy when he finds out!"

"Well we better move because there is one Republic City causing some trouble." Mako said.

"Let's go!" Korra said following Mako to the hangars. Lasky re-joined Hood in the deep space surveillance monitors.

"What is it…it can't be Covenant." Hood said as the probes found a single ship in deep space approaching it.

"Looks human in shape." Lasky added, "A cargo ship maybe?"

"Could be, but it's far from the expected trade routes." Hood said, "I want a frigate to go out there to investigate and not to engage with whatever it's out there."

"Sir, why didn't we tell Korra about the soldiers bending?" Lasky asked his superior officer.

"There are several unknowns about these people, especially their ability to bend. Now that our own have gotten it I think we should study them first before we tell the Avatar of their existence." Hood stated. "And Captain, you did good here."

"Thank you sir."

* * *

**Republic City**

Korra's pelican flew above the busy city, landing within the rebuilt Camp Preston Cole, Korra and Mako walked off the pelican. There was still some rebuilding to do around the military camp, but it was fixed for the most part. The FLEETCOM building was fully operational now, especially with Lord Hood's visit.

"Let's get a Warthog and…" Mako said.

"No need." Korra said, she whistled and a two seconds later Naga came out of one of the tents around the landing pad and went directly to lick Korra on the face. "Ha! Naga!"

"We're riding Naaga?" Mako asked.

"Duh, hop on soldier boy." Korra said.

* * *

**Air Temple Island**

"Airbenders…" Was the first thing that came out of Tenzin's mouth after he read the translated reports and the map that Korra had given him. "Airbenders…living airbenders…"

"Told you he would like it." Korra said to Mako. "I don't really know how this happened, but the reports go as far back as six months ago so it must've begun right after Harmonic Convergence and the spirit portals were left opened."

Tenzin stood up and hugged Korra, "This…this would've never happened if it hadn't be for you, Korra." Tenzin said, Korra smiled. They let go and Tenzin quickly went to tell Pema and his brothers the good news.

"So…where's Bolin?" Korra asked Mako.

"Doing some mover stuff with Varrick, apparently they are making a mover about the battle between Bolin and the evil robots Prometheans." Mako said. "Asami…umm, I think she's here somewhere."

"Yep, I'm here." Asami said joining them, "Looking smooth Mako."

"Olive green does look good on me." Mako said, he still wore his red scarf on top of his armor. Regulations be damned.

"Heard the good news, I can't believe that new airbenders are appearing around the world." Asami said.

"Yeah. I heard that you've been working with the UNSC the past few months." Korra said. "Anything new?"

"Aside from improving their armor and railgun designs, I've been poking around that War Sphinx of yours on the moon. And also, the moon! I've been working with super tech on the moon! It's fantastic!" Asami excitingly said. "I'm here on break actually."

Mako then got a message from his helmet; he put it on and turned on the radio. "Mhm." He said at the operator on the other line. "Yeah…understood."

"What is it?" Korra asked.

"There has been a prison break in a maximum security prison complex in the Earth Kingdom and lots of UNSC casualties…been told to get back to base and form up with my squad." Mako replied. "See you later."

Mako said bye to the two young women as he quickly left the temple and headed off back to base. "Want to do anything fun while we wait for the others?" Korra asked.

"Actually…" Asami responded.

* * *

**Camp Preston Cole**

Mako got off the warthog he had taken a ride on; luckily he found some marines driving back to base and took a ride with them. He got back to his squad.

"Anything?" Mako asked one of his squadmates, Pvt. Hosaka.

"We're still waiting for Sergeant Parker to tell us our orders." Hosaka said, "Where have you been?"

"Security detail for the Avatar, the usual." Mako answered with a smirk. Sergeant Parker then joined them.

"Pvt. Hosaka." Sgt. Parker went through the roll to make sure the entire squad was present.

"Present, sir!" Hosaka replied.

"Pvt. Espinoza."

"Present, sir!"

"Cpl. Maxwell."

"Present, sir!"

"PFC. Mako."

"Present, sir!"

* * *

**Deep Space**

The UNSC frigate known as the Resolving Honor, made it to their destination. They were at least 500 miles away from the ship targeted by the probes. "Moonbase Base Alpha Actual, do you copy?"

"Moonbase Actual here, was the situation?"

"It looks human, has UNSC markings all over it."

"Ship classification?"

"Phoenix-class."

"Whoa, that's an old one. Is the vessel in working condition?"

"Scanners find it operational but lacking in a FTL drive."

"No FTL drive? What the hell? Anything else, Resolving Honor?"

"Hold on…that can't be it. You have to be kidding me."

"What is it, Resolving Honor?"

"It's the Spiri-"

"Resolving Honor? Do you copy? Resolving Honor do you copy? Do you copy!?"


	2. Insurrection

**Air Temple Island**

"What's this?" Korra asked as Asami placed several plates of armor around Korra's shoulders, and arms. "They kinda look like Forerunner armor."

"We recovered parts of your armor after Harmonic Convergence and reverse-engineered it to make this. I named it the Aegis Mark I." Asami replied as she give Korra her leg armor and chest plate. "Now, go into the Avatar State."

"Are you sure?" Korra asked.

"The suit is designed with that in mind; the energies released from the Avatar State should be stable enough to power the suit."

"Okay." Korra breathed in and went into the powerful Avatar State; as soon as she did the metallic plates of armor became alive, tightening into Korra's body. The transparent tube on Korra's back armor that served as the suit's spine glowed blue and began to feed the suit's systems. "Woah…"

"It works! It's not perfect; the platinum alloy is not as strong as the Forerunner armor or as the Spartan metal plates. But it should protect you from earthbending, firebending, waterbending and bullets." Asami said, "So, how does it feel?"

"Kinda tight…" Korra said as she moved her arms and legs. "Are you sure this will help in a fight?"

"That thing on your spine is synching up with your body and nerves, meaning that it should make your stronger, faster and enhance your base bending strength twice its normal power." Asami said. "Also I design it to be skin tight because I thought that…"

"Hey guys, I'm back…hey, nice suit." Bolin complemented Korra's new armor. "Goes real well with your body."

"How was the mover with Varrick?" Korra stopped Bolin from making any more sly remarks.

"Shooting should be over by next week, in two months you will see me in the big screen as Nuktuk: Hero of the Universe!" Bolin said excitingly. "Where's Mako?"

"He was called by the UNSC to look into something in the Earth Kingdom." Asami said.

"Also, Captain Lasky told us that there is a resurgence of airbenders throughout the world! Tenzin is so excited!" Korra informed Bolin, "He probably is already planning a trip to search for all of them."

Then Korra saw that the suit had a small radio transmitter, "All UNSC personnel in the vicinity of the White Lotus compound and UNSC Base Delta in the Oden Mountains are ordered to fall back into the compounds immediately!"

The trio heard the dispatcher's orders, "Isn't that where Mako is going?" Asami asked.

"Yeah…that White Lotus compound, I know about it. It's supposed to be a prison for war criminals of the Hundred Years War…" Korra said, "What's going on there?"

* * *

**UNSC Base Delta, Oden Mountains**

"Everyone okay?!" An ODST squad came out of the rubble of the base's hangar; several pelicans had been shot down from the sky. "Anybody still kicking?" The ODST squad leader asked through the radio.

"This is Sgt. Parker of Lima Squad, we're fine." Sgt. Parker said. "Where are you now, troopers?"

"We fell inside the base's hangar and made a pretty big hole." The ODST said as he looked at his crashed pelican, "They were Onager MAC cannons, they fired at us. Took out our bird's right wing."

"Insurrectionists, the ones imprisoned in the White Lotus compound, they escaped and took over the base." Another squad leader, Staff Sergeant Palyoktis, said. "The guards never saw them coming."

"Alright, we are going to get out of this hangar and meet up at the lobby area of the base civilian sector. You all have your maps?" The ODST leader said.

"Got them." Sgt. Parker said.

"Likewise." SSgt. Palyotktis added. The ODSTs started moved away from the hangar and into the base proper, checking their corners. The terrorists had cleaned through the guard force of the base and executed the civilian personnel as well.

"Armory." They got into the armory; all of the weapons had been taken. Including the Spartan Lasers in base. "Clean."

"Keep moving." Their motion trackers didn't detect any tangos, they were either gone once they took the vehicles or they were headed into a trap. The ODST leader, MSgt. Stacker, knew this as he and his team slowly moved through the battlefields that were these hallways.

Then he heard a firefight, near the lobby sector, this wasn't good. "Move!" He ordered his troopers, they ran through the halls into the lobby area, there they found four dead Marines on the red rugged floor of the base's lockdown lobby.

There was only one survivor standing behind cover, he was throwing fireballs at his attackers. "Fire!" Stacker ordered his troopers to open fire at the insurrectionists on the far side of the lobby. The full-metal jacket bullets ripped through the concrete pillar that the two terrorists were hidden behind. Their bodies fell on the fancy red carpet. "Stand down."

Stacker and his black armored ODSTs approached the lone soldier that recovered from the firefight, "Private, you okay?" Stacker asked the young man.

"Sir…whole squad…gunned down. It was a trap." He said in between breaths. "Private Mako, sir."

"Alright, we have to hole up until the Staff Sergeant's team gets here." Stacker said. Then the sound systems came online.

"Welcome to the first institutional building liberated by the people, gentlemen." A calm yet authoritative voice spoke through the room.

"Damned insurrectionists." Stacker said, "Show your bloody face!"

"Sorry, Master Sergeant, I have been tracking you and your people's movements through the base. I am sorry to inform you that the Staff Sergeant won't be joining you, and you won't be going anywhere." The lobby's inward exit closed up leaving the ODSTs and Mako trapped.

"Son of a bitch!" One of the ODSTs yelled as he banged at the metal gate that trapped them. It was reinforced steel gates; no bullet or fireball was penetrating it any time soon.

Then the automated security came online, three turrets came out of the room's ceiling, "It is a shame that it had to come to this, but I'm in borrowed time. Goodbye."

Mako thought fast, he charged his lightning bending and pointed at the turret directly in front of them. He fired the lightning blast, the electric attack made a chain attack as the electric current traveled from one turret to another making them explode. This also short-circuited the lobby's systems turning the lights off.

The ODSTs turned their weapon's flashlights, "Good job, kid." Stacker said to Mako. "Now, how to get out of this hole."

"Security gates are too tough for bullets, sir."

"Then we will have to blow them up. Everyone place your grenades in front of the civilian sector gate. Now!" All of the ODSTs and Mako placed their remaining grenades in front of the steel gate.

"Alright, fire boy, light them up." Stacker said. Mako fired a blast of fire at the grenades, they exploded loudly bringing the gate down. "Nice! Now move! Move!"

They jumped over the burned metal gate and ran towards the civilian sector; the dead bodies of the residents littered the floor. Mako had never seen slaughter such as this one, these insurrectionists were savages. And they needed to pay.

The team arrived to the hangar of the civilian wing, there were civilian aircraft there. Luckily none of the terrorists had taken them; they rushed into one of the transport planes. "Alright, get this bird on their air. Take it back to Base Alpha; we need to report what happened." Stacker said.

"What about the terrorists, sir?" Mako asked the grizzled UNSC soldier.

"We can't take them on, not alone. Don't worry kid, we'll take them down." Stacker replied, and then there was a loud explosion just near them. Insurrectionists, they were shooting at the commercial plane that the UNSC soldiers were in.

In front of the terrorists stood a man with grey long hair and beard, he was looking at them. Mako saw the man; he didn't look like the other prisoners. He wasn't shooting at them, just watching them. The ship hovered and rammed the hangar's gate and flew away.

"They got away!" One of the insurrectionists said. Behind them came another person, this one was a woman. She was young, had black hair and brown-amber eyes.

"What now?" She asked the man with the long hair. "You broke us out, you have our thanks, and we will follow your lead."

"Ms. Ilsa Zane, are you ready to undo the great wrong that the UNSC has caused to its people?" The man asked her.

"My people and I are ready to kick the UNSC back, Zaheer." Ilsa replied.

"Good, but before we can bring freedom to everyone we have to make a few stops. We better get equipped." Zaheer said.

* * *

**UNSC/UF Camp Preston Cole, Republic City**

"Anything new on the radio chatter, Madsen?" Thorne asked his partner as they both were on leave and had some time to relax from constant War Games.

"There was some sort of prisoner escape on the Oden Mountains, two teams of Marines and one ODST squad were sent there. Nothing they can't handle." Madsen said. "So, nothing on our former VIPs and your especial lady?"

"Shut up, Madsen. No, there hasn't been anything on them." Thorne responded. Then Hoya came running into the barrack.

"You guys have to see this!" Hoya told them, they were puzzled by this sudden call. They hopped off their beds and followed Hoya. They joined several Marines and Spartan-IVs that had gathered around to see two pelicans touch down.

The pelicans landed, their ramps opened. The green armor of the most renowned Spartan in the UNSC, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 had returned to Requiem, this time not alone. Behind him were three more Spartan-IIs…Fred-104, Kelly-087 and Linda-058. The Marines and Spartan-IVs immediately took stance as the heroic Spartan-IIs walked out of the pelican.

From the other was Commander Sarah Palmer and Lord Hood, they had come to inspect Camp Preston Cole. "Look at them, like children looking at Superman." Palmer said.

"Blue Team is legendary, Commander. These soldiers need someone to look up to." Lord Hood reply, "Let's go meet President Raiko and General Iroh."

* * *

**Air Temple Island**

"Then it's decided, we will travel all over the world to search for these new airbenders!" Tenzin said. "We will witness the rebirth of the Air Nomads!"

"I'm going to stay and look out for Pema and the kids." Kya said. Bumi came running towards them, he was gasping for air.

"You will never believe what I found!" Bumi said.

"Another dead squirrel?" Tenzin asked.

"No…look!" Bumi said he made a motion with his arms and blew air at Bolin making fly into the waters of the bay. "Whoops."

"You can…airbend?" Kya surprisingly said.

"Oh my Bumi can airbend." Tenzin said with a tired voice.

"Hey we got one already!" Korra said as Asami was helping Bolin out of the water. "Hey, we better tell President Raiko that we're leaving the United Republic."

"Good idea, Korra." Tenzin said, "We can gather the airbenders here once we come back as well."

* * *

**UNSC Moonbase Alpha**

"Are you sure he said that?" Lasky asked his monitor officer.

"Yeah, sir. But there's something odd, the Spirit of Fire was a Phoenix-class ship made before the war to colonize other planets. But the hostile ship's parameters according to the deep space probe don't match up with the Resolving Honor's scans." The officer said.

"What do you mean? Whoever is in that ship is using the Spirit of Fire's friendly tags?" Lasky asked.

"It's possible, and there's also a possibility that it's a subsidiary vessel of the Spirit of Fire itself." The officer replied. "That could explain why the Resolving Honor's scanners mistook it for the Spirit of Fire."

"Keep an eye on it." Lasky said, "I don't want it getting too close while Lord Hood is here."


	3. Field Expedient

**Republic City**

"Ah yes, the airbenders popping out around. Sure, we can gather any in the city while you're gone and take them to Air Temple Island." Raiko said to Korra and the others.

"Thanks Mr. President." Korra thanked the President and headed her way out with her friends. "Now that we got that out of the way, anyone got an air ship?"

"I have one, a big one! It was built for the council a few months ago before my father…left with the Equalists. It's safe though." Asami replied.

"We better get ready then, Bolin did you bring all of the extra food for the trip?" Tenzin asked.

"Um…I did but then…I kinda ate it all." Bolin replied while Paabu hid under his shirt. Tenzin sighed.

* * *

**Camp Preston Cole**

The Master Chief loaded his battle rifle; he was back on this planet after so long…but he was here for the mission. Prisoners, terrorists had escaped from a maximum security prison monitored by the UNSC and the White Lotus. There were two highly dangerous individuals within that prison.

And one of them was going to be on the trail for someone very important, someone that he knew. The very same individual, who saved Earth from the Didact and from what the reports state, saved this world from turning into a Flood Hive.

"John, we have the dossiers on the individuals that escaped from the prison. Ilsa was one of them." Kelly said as she and Fred joined the Master Chief. "A former Spartan-IV, deadly and wanted by the UNSC for questioning."

"Then we have this man, Zaheer, a real scumbag, part of an anarchist movement formed eighteen years ago. He and his gang tried to kidnap the Avatar and take down several of the world's leaders." Fred said, "He could present a real danger to the UNSC now that he has allied himself with the Insurrection."

"What about the other prisoners? Zaheer's group?" Master Chief asked.

"They're currently still in detention in separate parts of the world." Kelly answered.

* * *

**Somewhere in the Mo Ce Sea**

A large wooden construct stood in the vast ocean, several White Lotus sentries patrolled around the single wooden jail in the middle of it. Inside it was Ghazan, a deadly bender of tremendous skill. A pelican flew over the base, it looked damaged from the outside…with its serial number burned out. It hovered low and its bay opened revealing several men in UNSC Marine armor.

One of them stepped on top of the wooden structure and met with the main sentry, "We weren't told you were coming." The guard said.

The marine smirked and said, "There was a change in the schedule." He then raised his hands and motioned forward. The marines inside the pelican began to open fire on the White Lotus sentries, killing two. The sentries quickly retaliated; the lead marine then threw several rocks inside Ghazan's prison.

Ghazan was surprised at first but then laughed as he bended the rocks and superheated them and spanned them as some sort of shuriken. With it he broke through his confinement, the guards couldn't do anything to stop him.

The man that had freed Ghazan then bended air to the guards, knocking all of them into the water. Ghazan looked at his liberator; the man took off his helmet and revealed himself as Zaheer.

"Zaheer! It's been a long time." Ghazan said as he shook hands with his old friend.

"Ready to get back to work on liberating this world and its people?" Zaheer asked his loyal friend.

"You bet! I see you got yourself some heavy back-up." Ghazan stated seeing the Insurrectionists in UNSC armor.

"A lot more are waiting for us, come on, there's still a lot of work to do."

* * *

**Camp Preston Cole**

"You did well, Mako." General Iroh said as he talked to Mako inside the UNSC barracks. "It's not your fault that what happened there…happened."

"I could've stopped them from gunning the Sarge and the others down. But no, I didn't…" Mako said looking at the dog tags of his teammates. "I was a coward."

"Don't beat yourself; I've lost people in battle too. People I knew and cared about, but I moved on but always remembered their sacrifice." Iroh said as he turned to leave.

"Thanks, sir."

"No problem, also there was something I forgot to mention. It seems that you made quite the impression with Master Sergeant Stacker, he has placed your name on the ODST training list." Iroh said.

"He did what?"

"Yeah, you better get your stuff ready. You'll be heading to Earth in three weeks; you're going to be the first person from our world to be part of the elite ODST regiment. Good luck." Iroh congratulated Mako. It seems that there was still something he could do to atone for his actions.

* * *

**Air Temple Island**

Ready to depart, Korra and the others moved all of they needed into the Future Industries air ship. "I think that's everything." Korra said.

"Yep, including the extra toilet paper." Bolin added as he carried bags of toilet paper into the airship.

"You aren't forgetting about me, right!?" Korra heard, it was Mako running towards them. Bolin and Korra were surprise to see him.

"Mako! I thought that you were going to be busy with the UNSC." Bolin said.

"Things happened…but I'm on leave." Mako replied, Asami came out to see what was going.

"Mako?" Asami asked.

"Hey, I see that you brought the big airship this time." Mako said.

"You bet! Let's go get some airbenders!" Asami responded. The airship came to life as its gigantic engines roared, the immense vessel began to hover in the air. Mako was looking out a window as the airship made lift off, he sighed and looked at his red scarf. He would be heading to the upper echelon of the UNSC Marines…an elite soldier. The first one of his world to get admittance into the Helljumpers, a great honor and achievement.

"What are you thinking about?" Korra asked, Mako turned to look at her.

"Just…things." Mako replied, "You know, after everything we've done I thought that doing a tour with the Marines would be a walk in the park…it wasn't."

"You haven't told us what happened." Korra said, she sat next to him with a bit of annoyance from the tight armor she had on.

"Our bird landed safely inside one of the hangars of the base, we dropped out as normal and cleared the area. We reached the commoner area of the base, big enough for a fight. Several insurgents came out of the woodwork, they opened fire on us and we returned fire from cover. We were doing well until the lights went off." Mako said, "I used my firebending to see through the dark, we didn't know that the insurgents had raided the armory, they were wearing night-vision equipment and before I knew it, they had emptied their clips on the Sarge and on the others. I saw them…full of holes. I barely escaped, made my way through the base until the Stacker found me."

"I…I'm sorry." Korra said.

"But hey at least something good came out of it." Mako replied.

"What is it?" Korra asked.

"After the mission, Stacker recommended me for the ODSTs."

"You are kidding?"

"Nope, if I'm accepted I'll be heading off for ODST bootcamp in three weeks. And I wanted to spend my leave with my friends…with you."

A small heat passed through Korra's face, "Thanks." She replied. "You know, with you in the ODSTs we might even get a chance to visit Earth."

"Earth? Now that you mention it…" Mako took out a booklet out of his pocket, "The UNSC originally kept their military bootcamps, the Army, Marines, Air Force and Navy, in the colony worlds. But after their war with the Covenant, most of these places were moved to Earth."

"That means…"

"After this adventure, I'm going to Earth." Mako realized.

* * *

**Fire Nation**

"You had one job. One job." Two men stood above a volcano; inside the volcano's pit were a broken cage and several dead White Lotus guards. "Your men, what did they see?" The older man asked.

"Everything was going as routine sir, until two men arrived in one of those pelican flying machines! They tore right through us with ease! One of them was controlling the magma from the volcano and the other one was airbending, they freed the prisoner and executed the remaining guards. I managed to make it by playing dead." The guard said.

"Then the reports were true. Zaheer has escaped and he's freeing his allies." He walked towards a red dragon that was lying on the warm rocky floor of the volcano.

"Should we contact the Northern Water Tribe, Lord Zuko?" The guard asked.

"There's no need, I'll get there myself. But do send a message to the Chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe of this matter and tell him that I need him in the North Pole." Zuko ordered, he got on top of the dragon's back on the saddle. "Let's go!"

* * *

**Korra's Airship**

"So what's the plan? Do we just drop in onto the first town we see?" Korra asked as they all grouped up on the planning table in the middle of the ship.

"No, we go to the first one on the map." Tenzin said, he placed a map with all of the locations of airbenders throughout the Earth Kingdom. "We go to each of these before arriving to Ba Sing Sei."

"I can't believe we are going to Ba Sing Sei! It's going to be awesome!" Bolin yelled. "Aren't you excited Mako? We have family there!"

"You bet bro." Mako replied. "Anyway, we get to these places but how are we going to convince these people to come with us?"

"Simple, they are airbenders and thus they are part of the Air Nomad nation. They'll have the honor of being the ones that revived an entire culture!" Tenzin stated.

"If you say so." Mako said not being convinced of Tenzin's reasoning. But he knew better to not correct the old master even if he wanted to.

"We'll be arriving to the first town in about two hours." Asami said, "So you better get your speech ready Korra."

Mako began to write up some stuff on a piece of paper, he might be told to make a speech after he got accepted. "Writing an essay?" Bolin asked.

"After this trip is over the President might tell me to make a big speech or something about being enrolled in the ODSTs." Mako said.

"Man, you a big important soldier, me a mover star…wow, we've moved so far up in the world." Bolin said. "We've made mom and dad proud."

"Yeah, hey how does this sound?" Mako showed him what he had written.

"You're not very good at making speeches are you?"

"It's a draft!" Mako responded and erased some of the sentences. "Hey, have you noticed that Korra and Asami are spending more time together ever since the fight with Vaatu?"

"I haven't, been too busy with Varrick and the movers." Bolin replied, "But aren't you and Korra in a bit of a break? What are you worrying about? Girls like to hang out with girls."

"I know that, maybe it's just my head playing tricks on me after the mission in the Oden Mountains." Mako said continuing with his writing.

* * *

**UNSC Base Delta, Oden Mountains **

"This place is empty." Four SPARTAN-IIs stood on the helipad of the base, "Nothing but dead bodies." Fred said.

"All of the weapons and info in the base was cleared too." Linda reported. "We got here too late."

"Any idea where the insurgents might've gone to?" Kelly asked.

"We have no idea; they could be mobile as far as we know. I've noticed that the base's Elephant is missing as well, they might've taken it." Fred said. "Although that Zaheer character might be trying to free his old team."

"We have people looking at that." The Master Chief said. "Tell command to see if they can locate that Elephant, it was part of this base and it might still have its signal."

"Then let's get moving, we might still find these guys." Fred said.

* * *

**Korra's Airship**

"We almost there?" Korra asked Asami who was piloting the aircraft.

"We're just about there. Hey Korra, can I ask you a question?" Asami asked.

"Yeah sure."

"Have you ever had like a real close friend and you wanted to tell them something really intimate?"

"Um, yeah, I have you, Bolin and Mako. Occasionally Tenzin but he's more of a teacher or dad than close friend."

"No I mean something that you can't put into words too easily. Something intimate."

"Oh…" Korra was a bit confused then she noticed that Asami was looking directly at her, eyes to eyes and noticed that her friend's pale face had a pinkish-red hue to it. "Um, I have to go to the bathroom?" She quickly walked away and passed by the two brothers who were doing their own thing.

"Hey Korra what do you think of my dra…ft." Mako said but he was ignored by Korra who walked straight towards the airship's restroom. "Okay, I know that I didn't do anything wrong today."

"Hey, we've been up here for some hours already, give her a break." Bolin said while he played around with Pabu. Still the thoughts didn't leave Mako's mind, there was something fishy around here and he will be getting to the bottom of this before going to boot camp.

Tenzin approached the big window and saw the village they were going to, he smiled with the thought of finally meeting other airbenders. "After a century…" He murmured to himself.

"We'll be landing in a minute." Asami said, "Anything you want to bring before going there?"

"No, Korra and I will be okay. Let's go."

* * *

**The North Pole**

"Is the prisoner secured?" Zuko asked as he walked with Tonraq and the leaders of the Northern Water Tribe, the children of Unalaq; Eska and Desna.

"She is." The twins responded in unison. "Everything is as father left."

"This place was designed by Sokka and built by the finest waterbenders that the North could offer." Tonraq said as they entered an elevator.

"Even if they get out it will be hard to look for the Avatar, I know from experience." Zuko said. "Not that I will again…"

The elevator stopped and the gate opened, meeting them was a fully armored ODST wielding a silenced SMG. His blue visor reflected the newly arrivals. "Evening." He said.

"An ODST? The UNSC already alerted?" Tonraq asked.

"They arrived an hour ago. The UNSC know the danger we would get in if the prisoner escaped." Deska said.

"How many troopers?" Zuko asked.

"Six." The ODST replied. They entered the room where the prisoner resided, the ODSTs stood in front of the cell. "There she is."

"Get everything ready." Zuko said, "They are coming."

The prisoner moved her head to look at the people in front of her, her forehead was covered and with a smile she sent chills down Zuko's spine. Her friends were coming, and soon.


	4. True Demons

_Dear Admiral_

_I have received the message brought to me by your subordinates, and I must say that this is the most peculiar find of our generation. I will be dispatching several of my men to the planet at once, I am sure that the UNSC forces will be of no problem, and as for the locals...my operatives will take care of them with the utmost care. Also, I am sending a package, a very special package to be opened by our forces there._

_Sincerely, _

_The Chairman_

* * *

**Northern Water Tribe Prison Compound**

Tonraq, Zuko and Esna and Desna waited outside the underground compound's entrance. Three squads of UNSC Marines stood in front of the gate, aiming their Battle Rifle's at the horizon. The dark cloudy skies were a bad omen, and Lord Zuko recognized this.

"Hey, there's a pelican on our way." A marine shouted as he saw a pelican approaching them with his rifle's scope.

"A pelican? The changing of the guard isn't scheduled until Thursday." Another marine responded.

"It's the enemy. Fire!" Zuko realized what was going to occur. The marines fired their rifles at the incoming dropship, but the pelican's armor plated exterior resisted the bullets fired upon it. Instead of landing, Zaheer piloted the dropship straight through the defenders of the compound, diving head first into the steel gates.

The cockpit had broken open, Zaheer and company jumped out of the crashed pelican and entered the facility. "Stop right there!" Tonraq yelled, bending an ice boulder towards them. Ghazan quickly reacted, superheating his earth disk and slicing the ice boulder in half.

Ming Hua, the woman they rescued from the volcano, bended the remains of the boulder and turned into spears which she threw at Tonraq. Zuko firebended a fireball at the spears, melting them. "You aren't getting to her, Zaheer." Zuko said.

"On the contrary..." Zaheer used his newfound airbending ability to create a small whirlwind inside the room. The effect blasted Zuko and Tonraq into the metal walls, Eska and Desna joined them and proceeded to attack but where easily shrugged aside by Ming Hua. The trio entered the elevator and went on down towards the prison.

The elevator stopped, the doors opened and the trio walked towards the cell. In front of them awaited three ODSTs. Cladded in black body armor and wielding Battle Rifles and Rocket Launchers. "Hold it." One of the ODSTs said, Zaheer's face reflecting off the marine's blue visor. "By the order of the United Nations Space Command and the Order of White Lotus you are to turn yourselves in or face the consequences."

"More spacemen?" Ming asked.

"These ones look more professional." Gazhan stated noticing the heavy armor and weapons. "No time to play with them though."

"Kill them." Zaheer ordered.

* * *

**Earth Kingdom**

The airship's gates opened, from there Korra and Tenzin walked inside the gargantuan airship. Korra looked furious while Tenzin had a look of disappointment, something had happened in the village. "What happened?" Asami asked them.

"We found the airbender." Tenzin said, "But…"

"It was the town's mayor and the man didn't want to come!" Korra finished the sentence, "Can you believe that guy?!"

"Korra calm down, he had a perfectly good reason for not coming with us, even if it was necessary. He has a family. We just need to keep looking." Tenzin said walking back into ship's center table.

"You think he's going to be okay?" Asami asked Korra.

"I don't know, with thousands of airbenders suddenly appearing around the globe…he just wants to rebuild you know?" Korra responded. "Let's get going."

* * *

**UNSC Moonbase Alpha**

Near the docking bay, a D81-LRT Condor troop transport arrived within it were several armored ONI Agents armored in Nightfall-variant suits. "We got a package for Fleet Admiral Terrance Hood from Earth." One of the agents told the docking bay supervisor.

Four agents walked out of the Condor carrying what looked like a black sarcophagus, it was bolted shut. "What's in the black coffin thing?" The supervisor asked.

"Its a weapon. A weapon of untold strength." The agent replied, "Do not open it until the lights on the sarcophagus's internal cooling systems are shut off or else you won't like what would happen."

The agent return inside the Condor leaving the supervisor a bit creeped out, he looked at the hushed casket that was placed near a cargo lift...there was something he didn't like about it. He signed the paperwork and went on to tell the Captain Lasky and Lord Hood of the arrival.

Within the Condor, the ONI agents stood in a circle and waited for the hologram of an old man to appear before them. "Mission accomplished sir." The main agent said. "The Package has be delivered."

"Good." The old man replied. "Initiate phase 2 of the operation, make sure that the package is opened here."

"Affirmative." Another agent said in a deep voice. The hologram disappeared. "Armor up." He opened his armor locker and took out a LOCUS-variant MJOLNIR GEN2 helmet out.

"Once the sarcophagus is opened, its scorched earth policy from here on out. No survivors." The leading agent said loading his assault rifle.

Meanwhile in the control room, the docking bay supervisor had already sent out word to Lord Hood about the arrival of the sarcophagus, which was on its way to the control room. "This is from Earth sir." Lasky told Hood looking at the notes sent to them from the docking bay.

"Ah yes, the Chairman was kind enough to send us a way to keep Insurrectionist off the planet without resorting to Spartan deployments." Hood said, "The Chairman explained to me that I had to open it upon arrival."

Then Roland appeared, "I don't think that's a good idea sir." Roland said, he began scanning the sarcophagus. "There's someone inside it, the entire thing is some sort of life-support system."

"What?!" Lasky responded with surprise. "Is this some sick joke?"

"Open it immediately!" Hood ordered.

"Wait!" Roland yelled but the SPARTAN-IVs guarding Hood pried the bolted cover of the sarcophagus off. Steam escaped out of the casket, the fumes blurred the vision of the SPARTANs.

"I can't see a thing." One of the Spartans said, cleaning his visor with his hand. Once he did his visor was smashed in by a powerful fist killing the Spartan instantly. The other supersoldier reacted whipping out his DMR but the beast was faster ripping his head out with its bare hands.

"Sir!" Lasky called to Hood, they ran off from the bridge as the security team poured in and the naval personnel was quickly evacuated. Marines were sent flying through the door and walls, ripped apart or filled with fist-sized holes on their bodies. "What the hell is that?!"

"We've been duped!" Hood said, the sound of a hail of bullets could be heard from the comm systems across the station. Something else was happening in the base, an attack! "Call the Infinity and Camp Cole now!"

"On it sir!" Lasky replied, they both ran towards Lasky's quarters where he used the communicator. "Palmer, do you hear me?!"  
Captain, what's going on? We are getting hundreds of hails from the moon." Palmer said.

"Send Crimson, Jaeger and any other available fireteams to my position immediately we are under attack!"

* * *

**Earth Kingdom**

Korra and Tenzin met with the airbender inside the town, to their surprise it was the province's governor. They were quickly asked to join him in a celebration feast, the Avatar had just arrived after all.

But it just got worst from there on out. "Absolutely not!" The governor responded. "There is no way I am leaving my family and responsibilities."

"You got to understand that being part of the airbender culture supersedes your earthy responsibilities!" Tenzin replied, "You have to come!"

"Why don't we just calm down and..." Korra tried to cool the situation down but to no avail.

"I am sorry Avatar but I cannot leave my life just because I got some powers I never asked for!" The governor said, "I'm going to ask you to leave, Master Tenzin." He turned towards Korra, "I am sorry."

Back on the airship, Tenzin entered with a mix of anger and sadness on his face. "Sorry Tenzin, maybe the next one will be the one." Korra said. Tenzin smiled at Korra's optimism, but he continued walking towards the center table and placed his hands over his head.

"Didn't go to good huh?" Mako asked Korra.

"No, it didn't." Korra replied, she sighed. "There still are a couple of places we can go, especially Ba Sing Se."

"Hopefully we find some there." Mako said.

* * *

**Moonbase Alpha**

A massive figure in old MJOLNIR EVA armor stood over a pile of corpses, looking at its hands. The entire section of the base had been sealed for security reasons, leaving it trapped there.

Instead of words it could only growl, the warm blood on its fingers. It could hear voices in its head, leftovers of a past...of power. True power. It stood up and walked towards the main computer, and felt the presence of an AI...a smart AI nearby. The beast broke through the locked doors as they were paper. Fifty marines waited there, pointing their weapons at the beast.

"Oh god is that..." One of the marines said.

"Fire!" The sergeant ordered. And a moment later...the entire room was bathed in blood and guts. Heads rolled over eviscerated bodies that once were men. The sergeant who had been ripped in half was still living, gasping for air. The monster stood over him, the man could only say one word... "M...M...Meta..." Before his head was crushed by a titanium boot and a fierce growl.


	5. Sinking Feeling

**Moonbase Alpha**

Spartan Fireteams Jaeger and Lancer were sent to investigate Alpha base's blackout and rescue Captain Lasky and Lord Hood. The pelicans entered the docking bay of the station, they descended quietly. The energy barriers of the hangar doors still worked meaning that oxygen hadn't escaped after the black out, nevertheless the Spartan-IVs kept their helmets on.

The lights were out, something was off about the whole place. "Hey, there's a Condor in here." One of the Spartans said. "ONI."

"What are the spooks doing in here?" The Spartan leader replied wondering what the presence of ONI meant. "Ledge, what do you see?"

"Nothing, sir." Spartan Ledge said scanning the area with his Gungnir helmet, "Lots of KIAs."

"Military personnel?"

"Affirmative." Ledge confirmed. "We better get pass the lockdown and head down towards the bridge."

"Yeah." Lancer leader approached the hallway leading towards the medical bay were most of the medical personnel might've hidden, possibly a couple of survivors. "Jaeger, what's your position?"

Already heading towards their objective, Jaeger had passed through the security lockdown. "Closing in to target." Spartan Ackerman said, the deadliest Spartan aboard the Infinity, none could match her ability with the combat knife.

The team of four reached the entrance of the mess hall, the target was nearby. The mess hall was full of dead bodies of various naval officers and marines. There was an immense hole in the wall, something bull-rushed through it and massacred the entire staff while they were having lunch. Spartan Eren, with his brown-gold armor reached towards the hole in the wall and looked at the other side, more carnage. But as he walked in to the other side, his shields were struck by three-shot burst from a Battle Rifle. He immediately retracted back into the mess hall, taking cover.

"Tangos on the other side!" Eren said, he could see the targets in his motion tracker. The others joined him on cover.

Ackerman used her VISR to see where the unknown targets were hiding at in the shadows. Looking past the hail of bullets, she could see one of them taking cover behind a steel table. She took out her pistol and fired at the soldier peeking over to shoot. The magnum shot made his shields flare up meaning that the tango was wearing MJOLNIR armor. "Its wearing power armor." She told her squad.

The heavy weapons operative, Spartan Arlert, threw a grenade inside. The grenade exploded allowing Ackerman to run inside with an amazing speed with her combat knife ready. She jumped over the the tango and stabbing him in the neck, slicing him in the jugular. Now dead, Fireteam Jaeger stepped inside. Ackerman looked at at the tango's chestplate... "Office of Naval Intelligence..." She said softly as she took out her knife out of the agent's neck.

"You bet we are."

The team quickly turned to the direction of the voice. Two men stood in front of the entrance to the hallway that connected to the ODST sector. One of them was wearing a set of black-green LOCUS armor and the other one was wearing a Scout helmet and armor that was gray and orange. "Too bad that you won't see the party at the ODST sector. It's a doozy." The one with the Scout helmet said.

"Stop talking, let's end them. Scorched earth." The one with LOCUS armor said. Then they opened fire. The sound of bullets hitting metal resonated through the bloody hallways.

Fireteam Lancer was able to hear the gunfire, "Sir?" Spartan Ziggy, the designated marksman, asked. The team leader moved his eyes, looking at the radio signal of Fireteam Jaeger on his HUD, it was offline.

"Keep moving." He said.

* * *

**Earth Kingdom**

The airship passed by a small town on their way to Ba Sing Se, it seemed to have be untouched by the UNSC unlike most cities in the Earth Kingdom. According to the map, there was one airbender here, but they needed something to convince these person to come in. So Bolin got an idea...

"Everyone! Everyone! Behold the talented and powerful airbender!" Bolin with a wacky hat and a silly mustache shouted in the town's square showing off a shirtless Tenzin doing various airbending tricks. The people cheered and loved Tenzin's act. Bolin believed that if the people were entertained they would be nicer.

Korra and Mako facepalmed at the idea, but when ahead with it anyway. "Thank you! Thank you! Now wonderful people, we are looking for airbenders to resurrect the long dead Air Nomad race! And we would like your help, please tell us if you know any airbenders!" Bolin asked the people. But the crowd just meh'd and went on about their business ignoring our heroes.

"Told you it wouldn't work." Mako said.

"Aw, but..." Bolin was clearly disappointed that his foolproof plan didn't work.

"Come on bro, let's go to Ba Sing Se."

"You lookin' for airbenders?" The brothers turned their heads to see a boy standing in front of them. He looked like a poor kid, probably living in the slum. His skin was tan, short hair and his clothes were tattered and dirty. "I can tell you where they at."

"Really?!" Bolin got excited. Korra saw what they were doing and went to see what was going on. Once she approached the kid whistled when he saw Korra in her armored suit, the Aegis Mk.1.

"Why are you guys waiting for?" Korra asked them.

"The kid here says he knows where the airbenders are." Mako said sighing not believing a word. "Come on, tell us where they are."

"Well...you're looking at him!"

A silence followed after the kid said that, "Okay, prove it." Mako responded. The kid then grabbed a leaf off the ground and made it float with the air current around his hand.

"See? I've been able to do this a couple of days now. Neat huh?" The kid said.

"Okay...so you're an airbender. You want to come with us?" Korra asked.

"Got nothing better do. Let's go!" The kid replied, he grabbed his bag and went with them. There was something this kid Mako didn't like. On the entrance of the airship, Tenzin was putting on his robes on with Jinora's help, who had come with them.

"Great act dad!" Jinora told her father.

"I wonder how your grandfather handled this." Tenzin replied. Jinora then noticed the trio coming back to the airship. But then she saw a boy walking with them, a warm feeling rushed through her body then.

"By the way, what's your name?" Bolin asked the kid.

"Kai." The kid replied. It seemed like Korra had finally found at least one airbender, things were starting to look good until...

"Hey! Hold there!" Two men came running down from the plaza, "That kid is going nowhere!"

Korra stepped forward, "If you want him you're gonna have to come through me!" Korra yelled, using her earthbending to quake the ground. The men jumped out of the way before the ground sunk below them. The men quickly noticed who they were going against.

"Stop! Wait!" One of them screamed, "We are police officers!" He took out his badge out of his pocket.

Korra stopped her attack, "Police? Why didn't you say that before?" She asked.

"We came running to stop that kid from leaving." The older officer pointed at Kai.

"Um, I...don't know what they're talking about." Kai tried to weasel his way out. Mako grabbed his bag, "Hey!"

Mako opened the bag, it was full of jewelry and gold coins. "Is this what you were looking for officers?" He threw the bag at them. "I knew you were nothing but trouble the moment I laid my eyes on you."

"I'm sorry! Its not like I'm doing it on purpose!" Kai responded. "Please don't let them take me away!"

"You're in deep trouble kid." The officer said while taking Kai away.

"Sigh. Let's go guys." Korra and Bolin walked back to the airship with Bolin a bit disappointed at what had occurred. Mako looked back at Kai who was being taken away. Then he began to think about Kai had said, and sighed. He ran back towards the police officers...

Korra sat on her chair and looked back at the map in the center of the table, this whole quest had been nothing but a big waste of time. But before she scrapped this whole enchilada Korra noticed Kai stepping inside the airship with Mako.

"Whoa..." Kai said. "This is really cool!"

Korra walked towards Mako who closed the entrance of the airship, "Uh, I thought that he was going to be detained." Korra said.

"Thought about giving him another chance." Mako said, "We need all the airbenders we can take. Also told them that you would look after him since... Avatar business."

He walked away towards Kai who had initiated a talk with Jinora. "Hey, you're an airbender...like an actual one." Kai said to Jinora.

She giggled, "Well you are too now, welcome to the Air Nomads!" She told him. "Once we get back to Air Temple Island I can show you some cool tricks!"

"Sounds cool."

"Kai, I better show you where you're staying. We'll be heading towards Ba Sing Se soon and..." Before Mako could finish his sentence Bolin appeared behind him and got excited...again.

"Awesome! Now that Kai's here we can do a lot of awesome stuff together!" Bolin said and hugged both Jinora and Kai. Jinora instantly blushed.

Korra saw how much Mako had matured since the first time they met, then she thought...that she too had changed ever since getting inside that War Sphinx and witnessing the thoughts of the Forerunners. All of that loss...the revelation that she was now the protector of not only the world but supposedly the entire human race which included Earth...that mysterious world from where humanity itself hailed from.

"Thinking about anything?" Asami asked standing next to Korra.

"Just about the future...and stuff." Korra replied.

* * *

**Moonbase Alpha**

Fireteam Lancer reached the officer hall, they found dozens of dismembered marines scattered around the hall with blood stained on the walls and ceiling. "Oh god..." Lancer Leader, Spartan Jones, said.

"Sir, there's a missing escape pods in the emergency hatches." The team entered the room with the emergency hatches. There were three missing... "Lord Hood and Lasky must've left." Spartan Ledge said.

"But why is there a third one?" Another Spartan asked, an explosion came from outside the hall. "Hell!"

* * *

**Somewhere in the United Republic**

An escape pod crashed in the rocky lands in the frontier bordering the Earth Kingdom, the pod was empty with no one inside. But in the horizon there was a white armored figure shining against the sun's light, it was heading towards the nearest source of power...

…Republic City.


	6. Royal Inquisitions

**UNSC Outpost RC234**

Patrols walked around the walls of Republic City's outpost 234, it was hastily built after the escape of the prisoners from the Oden Mountains complex. Marines were said to not allow anyone in unless they carried UNSC Ids and equipment, or had United Forces identifications. The outposts around Republic City were there for border patrolling purposes, not allowing anyone in our out of the city during the night. The populace was up in arms about this change, but the government had pushed for it since the UNSC were the only ones offering state-of-the-art protection while the United Forces rebuilt.

"Dropship Kappa-934, do you copy?" Dispatch said to the incoming Pelican.

"Dropship Kappa-934 here. Open bay doors." The pilot responded.

The pelican bay's doors opened, allowing the pelican access. The pelican slowly descended and landed neatly. The dropship's hangar opened allowing the pilot and a marine to step out with prisoners. "That's odd, we didn't get a report of you bringing in prisoners." One of the hangar technicians said.

"We got them on the way here." The marine said, he took off his helmet to reveal his long black hair. "Now, where's the vehicle bay? We need to take these prisoners into camp."

Tricking the technician, the fake pilot and marine escorted the prisoners into the vehicle bay. There were three marines repairing a warthog. "Alright, listen, we get on one of those troop vehicles and find ourselves an empty warehouse." Zaheer whispered to his friends.

They got into a troop warthog, Ghazan found the keys conveniently in the ignition port. "So, this is like driving a satomobile right?" He asked.

"Just drive." Zaheer said. The warthog roared and left the outpost and into Republic City. Just as they left, the alarms exploded. The marines repairing the lone turret warthog dropped what they were doing and rushed towards the armory.

While Zaheer and the others left they heard screams from the still connected radio transmitter of the warthog. Bullets and the sound of gore came off it. "What the hell...?" Ming Hua was terrified from she was hearing.

"We got lucky it sounds." P'Li said, "Something is massacring squads of armed space men."

"Drive for the pier close to the Silk Road Bridge, we'll camp in one of the warehouses for tonight." Zaheer told Ghazan.

Meanwhile still inside the outpost, the barracks were the scene of complete carnage. A lone white armored figure stood in the center of dismembered marines. The Meta roared in anger, there was electrical surges here, but not enough to re-charge his armor and no AI. "Outpost RC234, this is dropship Lima 211, requesting landfall." A pilot from an incoming pelican said. The Meta tapped on the controls of the second hangar bay, and opened its doors.

* * *

**Camp Preston Cole**

"We just lost contact with outpost 234." Lieutenant Zami updated the standing commander of Camp Cole, Commander Keith. "And Moonbase Alpha is still dark sir, with Lord Hood and Captain Lasky still missing."

"This is insane! What the hell is going on here?!" Commander Keith slammed his fist on his desk in frustration. "Radio Commander Palmer in the Infinity, tell her to call back all remaining Spartans towards the immediate areas of the city and its border with the Earth Kingdom."

"Why sir?"

"Because Outpost 234 is just off it..."

* * *

**Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom**

Blue Team examined several bodies within a cavern, green crystals decorated the rocky formations within the cave. "They took a while to put down." Kelly said.

"They were controlling the metals in our armor." Fred replied, "If it hadn't been for your speed and Linda's aiming we would've been squished."

"Metalbenders." The Master Chief said finding several metal armors deeper within the cavern. "And not the good kind. These seem to be isolated cells, terrorist most likely. They were preparing for something."

"Aside from excavating?" Linda asked.

"Think that the symbol there means anything?" Kelly asked as she pointed at the immense painting of a red lotus flower on the rocky wall of the main cavern room.

* * *

**Earth Kingdom**

Dawn broke as Korra's airship approached Ba Sing Se. Mako was woke up by an excited Bolin, "Wake up bro! Wake up!" Bolin shook him up.

"What?" Mako annoyingly asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"We are here!" Bolin said as he ran out of the room. Mako followed slowly to find Bolin looking out one of the windows. "Ba Sing Se bro! We are close to our family!" Mako smiled at Bolin's enthusiasm and the thought that they were gonna meet the last bastion of family they had left on Requiem.

Before landing, Tenzin was reviewing several notes he had prepared to greet the Queen of the Earth Kingdom. "Greetings, Your Worship. I am Master Tenzin, the only remaining master of the growing Air Nomads and I..." Before he finished practicing, the radio ringed. "Sigh. Tenzin here."

"Tenzin, we have a problem."

"Lin?"

"Its Zaheer, Tenzin. He escaped from confinement and he has reunited with his Red Lotus partners." Lin said, Tenzin's eyes widened in fear. "They are coming for Korra."

"We are in Ba Sing Se at the moment, about to meet the Queen. I suggest not to tell her anything yet, not until we find out if Zaheer knows of us and our mission." Tenzin said.

"We saw him and his partners in an UNSC vehicle eluding our police this morning. Then they vanished." Lin said.

"Dammit. Alright Lin, after this trip we'll be heading to Zaofu..."

"I'll meet you outside Ba Sing Se." Lin then ceased communications. Tenzin knew that Lin didn't like talking about Zaofu, so he didn't find it weird that she had just stopped the call. Tenzin stood up from his seat and went to meet Korra and the others to exit the airship.

* * *

**Upper Ring, Ba Sing Se**

The airship slowly descended to the royal palace's airship harbor. Korra's airship being the biggest of them all, "Welcome! Welcome to the Royal Palace! It is great that the Avatar herself has come to greet our glorious Queen!" The Queen's adviser met with the team. "Follow me, the Queen is awaiting your arrival!"

As they walked with the adviser, Kai noticed several rich folk walking pass them wearing gold jewelry. Slowing down his pace, Kai lost the group and went on to get some loot. But then Mako noticed that Kai was gone, "Hey Bolin, where's Kai?"

"I thought he was with you." Bolin replied.

"I knew it...come on, bro, let's go!" Mako spotted him, the duo ran towards Kai. The kid saw them coming and quickly ran towards a nearby alley. Mako and Bolin followed, chasing Kai towards the train station. Kai quickly got aboard a train, slipping through the passengers, Mako and Bolin got in trying to reach him. But once they got close, the doors closed. Kai was already outside, and waved them goodbye. "Dammit." Mako cursed.

"Um, Mako..." Bolin said, "I think we're heading off to the Lower Ring."

"Fine, we'll take the train back when we get there."

"I think Mako and Bolin are gone." Asami noticed the absence of the brothers. "Where do you think they ran off to?"

"Nature calls, I guess." Korra answered. They entered the garden outside the royal throne room, but then they were stopped by one of the Royal Guards. "What's going on?"

"Um, the Queen is busy at the moment. She will be ready to see you Avatar in an hour. Sorry for the inconvenience." The adviser reported.

"She's what?! I'm the Avatar!" Korra demanded. "She can't just brush me off like this!"

"Korra calm down, it won't do us any good to act harshly at the actions of a monarch." Tenzin told her. "We'll wait patiently, sir. Korra, I'll be in the library nearby if you need me."

Korra sighed. "Don't worry Korra, I'm sure we can do something to pass the time." Asami said. "I need to see how your suit is doing."

"How?" Korra asked.

Asami opened the small hatch on Korra's back, it connected to the tube going down Korra's spine. "Its the small reactor that the scientists gave me to study. I made some changes to it, aside from reducing its power output so it could power this prototype when you're not in the Avatar State, I need to keep an eye on it or it could blow up." Asami explained.

"And if it explodes?" Korra asked.

"Well...it would vaporize you and anything in your immediate radius." Asami replied.

"That's bad." Korra said. "Is it protected?"

"The metal plates should protect it from bullets and fire. But I wouldn't get close to a metal bender if I were you. The final armor will contain fully purified platinum once this one is done testing." Asami said. "Varrick is already knee deep in research."

"Hey Asami, about what happened aboard the airship...to answer your question, the only person I've ever had that connection with was Mako. After what happened between us, we taken a break from relationships...for each other's sake." Korra said. "I'm sorry for just leaving off, I really had to use the bathroom."

"No problem, Korra." Asami said while closing the nuclear reactor's hatch on Korra's back.

"Anyway, who's this person you've been talking about? Must be someone we know." Korra asked.

"You have no idea." Asami replied.

* * *

**Deep Caverns, Somewhere in the Earth Kingdom**

Blue Teams delved deeper into the Red Lotus hideout's system of roads beneath the bedrock of the cavern. They've made bases that connected throughout the Earth Kingdom, giving them sanctuary for over 18 years since their last coup attempt. The Master Chief heard chatter, he and the others took cover, they didn't want to bring down the targets before gathering intel.

"Have gotten the devices left by the Covies yet?" One of the Red Lotus members asked an armed man, he was wielding a Battle Rifle.

"Most of the devices have been shipped out to the main compound. Ilsa has ordered to rebuild the portal so we can access the Spirit World physically." The armed man replied. "Zaheer called too."

"What did the boss said?"

"He's still on the Avatar's trail, taken refuge nearby Air Temple Island. He's still preparing."

This caught the Chief's ear, its been a long time since he's heard of Korra and her friends, but these people seemed to be after her. Nothing in his report said anything about this aside from the Red Lotus prisoners being terrorist cell much like the defunct Equalists that have vanished after the Didact's uprising.

"Chief, should be clean house?" Fred asked. The Chief nodded in agreement.

"Blue Team, leave no survivors except for Ilsa Zane if we find her. Open fire." Chief ordered.

* * *

**Republic City Outskirts**

The Meta, now fully recharged, had hijacked one of the pelicans that had landed on the outpost. He would now have to find the greatest source of power nearby, and an AI to give him full reign of his armor abilities. His next stop would be, not Camp Cole, but somewhere deeper. The place where the first pieces of Forerunner technology had been found on this world. The Cavern of Discovery, beneath the Fire Nation Cultural Center.

The pelican flew towards the city in speeds faster than sound, the power emanating from the Forerunner tech just made the Meta more desperate. Eager for power.

* * *

**Royal Palace, Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom**

Korra and Asami still waited for the Queen, "So...aside from telling several scientists to piss off, what were the hardest things you had to do while on the Moon?" Korra asked her.

"Well, that War Sphinx you brought in was amazing. I was able to help dismantling it, whatever powers it is centuries away from our understanding. Luckily the UNSC had experience in dealing with Forerunner technology." Asami said. "And more UNSC personnel were sent towards the North and South Poles, they closed off any entrances towards the Spirit World, but before they did we conducted a small trek towards the Tree of Time. Data gathered from it should be coming back from Earth in a couple of months."

"Nice. I had to deal with coming dignitaries from Earth. Lots of politicians, military officers and tourists. Since we are their first colony in ages, they wanted to reunify our humanity with theirs." Korra told her friend. "The bureaucracy can be extremely boring."

"Nothing like doing the things you love, eh?" Asami asked. "I miss my racing satomobiles."

"Speaking of them, how's your business?" Korra asked.

"Its fine. I have my CEO running it while I'm gone, he sends me reports via radio bi-weekly." Asami reassured her. "Thanks to companies coming here from Earth, we have advanced our next line of cars."

"The world is surely changing, too fast. Now with the spirits flying around and the UNSC here...I don't know if I'm needed anymore." Korra admitted. "Huge space ships, highly trained soldiers, genetically enhanced super-humans and a incoming colonization of our world? What is my role? I can't watch over to worlds at once."

"You don't have to, Korra. Earth has been protected from invasions long before the UNSC arrived here. And the Avatar has been keeping this world in balance for thousands of years. If anything, your role has been solidified." Asami said.

"When I was in the Tree of Time, the intelligence watching over it told me that I am the protector of the human empire...that my role was galactic." Korra remembered. "I don't know what to make off that."

The Queen's adviser came towards them, "Lady Avatar, the Queen is ready for you now." He told them.

"Wish me luck." Korra said standing up and following the man.

"Good luck!"

Korra followed the adviser through a small building until they were inside a more confined and smaller garden, this garden though had beautiful bushes with the shapes of animals and martial artists practicing their moves in front of the Queen.

"Its an honor to finally meet you, Your Highness." Korra bowed to the Queen in a sign of respect and etiquette. "I am sorry that Master Tenzin didn't join us, he is currently reading over nine thousand copies of the Journey of the Gold Monkey."

"Ah, Avatar, it is a surprising visit. There hasn't been an Avatar in the royal palace since my father's reign." The Queen replied. "And what do I own this visit?"

"Your Worship, we have gotten reports that there has been airbenders found throughout your kingdom. Specifically, here, in Ba Sing Se." Korra answered. "Master Tenzin and I are trying to revive the extinct Air Nomads, so we set off to recruit any and all new airbenders in the world."

"Ah, the airbenders. I am sorry, Avatar, but you won't find them here." The Queen said.

"What?!"

"Your reports are wrong. I suspect that they were given to you by those filthy outworlders." The Queen said, "Oh I have eyes and ears everywhere. Now, you have until tomorrow in the afternoon to leave my palace, Avatar. Bye." Then the Queen turned her back to Korra, this only made Korra build up rage inside her.

Korra wanted to grab the little stuck up old woman and shred her to pieces. But something was off, she said that she had eyes and ears everywhere. And the UNSC reports couldn't be wrong...yep, something was definitely off. Korra walked away, meeting Asami and the returning Mako and Bolin outside.

"So, how it go?" Mako asked.

"Not good. She says that there are no airbenders here, but I know better. Come on, let's get Tenzin and the others back to the airship. We need to think this through." Korra said.


	7. Hornets' Nest

**Deep Caverns**

Blue Team approached a small opening within the caverns, crates of ammo and armor everywhere. The Red Lotus had been collecting and moving equipment deeper underground, for a reason. "Scan the area, these must be the weapons stolen from the base." Fred said looking at one of the opened crates, a M6C Magnum crate.

"This weapon cache was recently moved here." Kelly replied, "Most of these stuff are still sealed."

The Master Chief walked towards the other side of the clearing, there was a closed gate. "I've seen these before, when I was at the planet's core." The Chief said.

"What is it?" Linda asked.

"A portal gateway." Chief answered. "These run throughout the planet's outer crust and connect to the Dyson sphere below."

"Looks closed." Fred examined, "Any way in opening it? Because it seems like the insurrectionists fled inside."

"Or maybe they were just in the middle of moving." Linda looked at the cache. "I have an idea."

The portal gateway opened, the bright light brightening the bleak cave. A squad of fully armored insurrectionists in Marine BDUs stepped out. Their armors had been customized to look different, they had used red paint spray. "Alright guys, let's finish moving the guns, the boss wants us transferred to the temple by six o' hundred tonight." One of the rebels said.

"Well grab one of the crates with the rocket launchers." Another rebel said. Blue Team had hidden in the shadows, despite their size they were silent as mouses. As the rebel turned around each with a box full of guns, bullets quickly flew through the air and hit their heads perfectly. Their bodies falling flatly on the ground, with the crates falling hard.

The SPARTAN-IIs appeared, each of their rifles' barrels had fumes from the bullets. They turned towards the opened gateway, and entered it. Whatever awaited on the other side, would be an army of insurrectionists.

* * *

**Fire Nation Capital**

Lord Zuko had returned to the Fire Nation to help his daughter, the Fire Lord, in finding clues about Zaheer. While he was on his way back, he had been intercepted by an escape pod falling from space. It crashed land near the capital of the nation, around the dead volcano that contained the city. Zuko landed his dragon near the pod, it was UNSC. The doors opened revealing Captain Lasky and Lord Hood, who had escaped from Moonbase Alpha. "Admiral! Captain!" Zuko went to help them.

"Lord Zuko...where are we?" Lasky asked the older man.

"You are in the capital of the Fire Nation." Zuko replied, "What happened to you two?"

"We were sent a rotten package." Hood said, " Contact the Infinity, tell them we made it out."

Zuko brought the UNSC officers into the royal palace, where they were treated as noble guests. The Fire Nation was one of the few nations that have had zero contact with the UNSC besides the single dignitary that had been sent to speak with the Fire Lord. "Welcome to the Fire Nation, gentlemen." Fire Lord Izumi, daughter of Lord Zuko, welcomed the two officers.

"Fire Lord." Both Lasky and Hood bowed. "It is an honor to meet you, it is unfortunate that it had to be under these circumstances."

"Do not worry, Lord Hood, we are aware of Zaheer's escape." Izumi said.

"Aside from that, our base in the moon was attacked." Lasky added. "Most of our forces and equipment lost."

"That's worrying." Izumi said walking towards the Fire Throne and sitting down. "Not only is Zaheer a problem, but now another unknown on the run?"

"We are afraid that it might've made landfall." Lasky said, "And communications with the orbiting fleet has been lost."

"We shall help you, we are preparing an airship to take you back to the United Republic." Izumi told them. "Once we have located Zaheer's location we will send whatever agents we have to aid your forces."

"Thank you, your Highness." Hood said.

* * *

**Earth Kingdom**

Within their airship, Team Avatar had assembled to discuss what Korra had been told by the Queen. "She's lying." Korra said, "I know there are airbenders here."

"The UNSC couldn't have gotten it wrong." Tenzin said while stroking his beard. "But there is something really odd about all this."

Jinora came walking towards them, hearing their discussion. "Guys, what's going on?" She asked.

"Nothing sweetie, go look after your brother and sister." Tenzin said rubbing his head in frustration.

"Kai!" Jinora called out. "Kai! Where's Kai?"

"Oh...um..." Bolin didn't know what to say.

"We lost Kai in the lower ring." Mako stated. "We tried looking for him until we ran into our cousin."

"You cousin?" Korra asked.

"Yeah, he was weird...but we found our Earth Kingdom family!" Bolin said.

"That explains why you aren't wearing your scarf, Mako." Asami noticed.

"Gave it to my grandmother...its the only thing that reminded her of my dad." Mako said, "But yeah, Kai...when were looking for him, we were assaulted by Dai Li agents."

"Dai Li?!" Tenzin was surprised.

"We got really close too." Bolin added.

"Korra...can you feel their presence?" Asami asked her.

"I haven't tried, but now that you reminded me..." Korra closed her eyes, tapping into the enhanced Avatar State. "I feel them...but I can't see them. Their spiritual energy is too weak, but they're here...in the city."

"That doesn't make any sense, there is no clue of them here." Asami said.

"I remember the stories of Aang and his friends, that they found a prison below Lake Laogai in the Agrarian Zone." Mako said, "Shot in the dark, they're probably in there."

"But the prison was flooded." Tenzin said.

"Its been years since then, they probably fixed it. We should at least look for them there." Korra said.

"We have to find Kai!" Jinora said.

* * *

**Fire Nation Cultural Center, Republic City**

People ran like crazy out of the building on fire, metalbenders flying out of the windows either half-dead or in pieces. A pelican had crash landed on top of the building starting the fire, dozens of dead immediately after. The titanic figure of the Meta advanced towards the giant vault door in front of him, through it he would find the power he will need to get his suit enough energy.

UNSC troopers mobilized towards the entrance of the building, not knowing what awaited inside. They entered with a flash grenade to blind the hostile. Then there was nothing but dismembered bodies and fire.

"Where is the target?" One of the Army troopers said. "I got nothing on motion tracker!"

"Stay frosty." The squad leader said, they slowly advanced towards the vault door. The five man squad checked their corners, still getting nothing in their motion tracker.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Another trooper said as he looked around, he was nervous. His assault rifle shook in fear of whatever had done this to the metalbending cops. People who could manipulate metal alloys.

"I got something!"

"Where?"

"...On top of us?" They looked up, a bright golden visor was the last thing they saw before total blackness.

* * *

**Earth Kingdom **

It was noon and the gang left the city rings and traveled towards the Agrarian Zone where Lake Laogai was located. The blue waters of the lake reflected the orange light of the sun, Korra looked at her reflection on the water. "We should be close enough." Tenzin said.

Korra knelt near the water's edge and placed her hand on the grassy ground, once again using her enhanced Avatar State to scan the entire underground complex. A blue light passed throughout the flooded chambers of the prison below. Every cell, every piece of iron and rock. Korra opened her eyes and stood up.

"Everything's flooded with water in there." Korra said, "Nothing but water, and bones."

"Then where could they be?" Tenzin asked himself stroking his beard.

"Hold on, I think I have an idea of why the Queen is kidnapping airbenders." Jinora said. "Airbenders are rarity these days right, well imagine having an army that no one has a counter to."

"Hmm..." Tenzin thought, "And where would you keep such army?"

"Close to you." Korra answered, "We have to go back to the palace!"

Once they returned to the upper ring and into the palace, it was already nightfall. The moon rose, replacing the sun in the sky. The only way they could find an entrance towards what they believe was an underground complex beneath the Earth Palace was to shadow a Dai Li agent.

"Look!" Asami whispered, spotting a Dai Li agent walking alone around the perimeter of the Queen's Sanctum.

"Come on." Korra whispered, a team of Korra, Asami, and Mako followed the Dai Li agent. Mako was carrying a portable radio walkie-talkie courtesy of the UNSC. The other radio was with Tenzin and the others, they were preparing an exit plan once Korra's team had liberated the airbenders.

They tried to be a careful as possible when following the agent, basically tiptoeing through the shadows. They saw the Dai Li agent approach a dead end, the man then used his earthbending to split the wall in two revealing a secret entrance. The man entered and closed the secret door behind him.

"Alright let's go." Korra said, the trio ran towards the closed secret door, Korra placed her hands over it. "Its rock alright." She made an earthbending stance, opening the door with her power. They entered, the trio was inside a hallway of rocks. Every part of this place was a death trap, the Dai Li's turf.

"Where to?" Mako asked. Korra touched the wall to the right of her, she could feel the vibrations coming nearby. This seismic touch learned from Lin in case if she needed to feel the situation before charging head first into it.

"Follow me." Korra told them, they ran towards another hallway, this one leading them towards another room. The room seemed to be the Dai Li barracks, "Okay, I might've messed up."

They were surrounded by Dai Li agents, "You think?!" Mako responded.

"Korra go look for the airbenders, we'll hold them off till then!" Asami said, as the Dai Li began their attack. Korra nodded, she turned towards a six-man team of agents coming to get her. The agents threw their stone hands to apprehend the Avatar, but little did they know how powerful she had become. With her enhanced earthbending she deflected the stone hands back at the agents striking them hard on the face. Korra ran past them, quickly, passing through the barracks and into the prison cells where they kept their airbending conscripts.

Korra saw that the doors were made of rocks, she could feel the airbenders on the other side. She opened the first door, "Kai!" Korra found him.

"Korra! We have to get out of here, the Queen is planning in using as weapons!" Kai yelled.

"Don't worry kiddo, I'm gonna get all of you out of here." Korra assured him, "Keep close."

Korra liberated all the airbenders, all 33 of them, all dressed in prison garb. "Okay everyone, follow me to the exit!" Korra commanded them. She and the airbenders ran back to where Mako and Asami were holding off the Dai Li. Mako was out of his element, so he could barely keep up with the quick Dai Li agents. Asami on the other hand knew to gracefully avoid the Dai Li's attacks, getting up close to them and knocking them out with martial art moves or her electric glove.

"I got them!" Korra shouted to them, the Dai Li quickly shifted their attention from the duo and towards Korra. Noticing this, Korra used her airbending to blow the incoming agents away, sending them crashing hard onto the stone walls and their wooden bunks.

The trio and the airbenders ran towards the exit, "Tenzin, we are out with the airbenders! We got the entire hornet's nest behind us!" Mako told Tenzin through the radio.

"Run towards the garden tower!" Tenzin told them. Korra heard, they ran towards the tower that stood in the middle of the outside garden. There, the airship awaited floating above the tower. Korra sighed.

"Always the hard way." She said, "Okay everyone, head upward the tower and get inside the airship!"

The airbenders hastily began to climb the wooden structure, Korra then heard the incoming Dai Li forces. The entire Dai Li order was coming towards them, determined in putting them back in their cells. With them was the Earth Queen, furious.

"Korra, we have to get out of here!" Mako said.

Korra grabbed both and Asami and Mako with each arm, thanks to her Aegis armor her physical strength had been slightly increased, she used her enhanced airbending to form a tornado around them propelling them up towards the opened hatch of the airship. There she left them to safety, she looked down, the airbenders were having a tough time getting up and they were running out of time.

The Avatar then noticed the Dai Li attacking the the climbing airbenders, she would have none of that. Korra jumped off the airship, and with enough force crashed down onto the Dai Li causing a small earthbending quake. Several agents were sent flying into the air, landing on the ground unconscious. The others backed off for a bit, allowing several airbenders to reach the airship.

"Get the Avatar!" The Queen ordered her Dai Li.

The agents resumed their attack, they sent immense boulders at Korra's direction. The Avatar easily blasted them into pieces with bolts of lightning. Korra was liking this new armor she had on, all of her attacks were twice their normal strength, even after their upgrade in the Librarian's Chamber.

Korra saw that the airbenders had safely escaped into the airship, and were just waiting for her. It was now time to say goodbye. "Hey Earth Queen! You have hit a new _rock_ bottom!" Korra said with a sly smile, she raised her right leg and stomped the ground creating another earthquake. The remaining Dai Li agents were caught off guard and collapsed from the shaking ground. The Queen grunted in anger as Korra simply used her airbending to quickly jumped over the tower and into the airship.

The airship flew away from the palace, leaving the Ba Sing Se behind. The airbenders sighed in relief that they were finally free, while Mako and Bolin were saddened that they had to leave their remaining family behind. "That was close." Mako said.

"I give myself an A+." Korra said as she felt her bending energies flowing through her body. They were stronger than ever.

"Now the question remains...how do we convince them to stay with us?" Asami asked looking at the cheering airbenders.

"Kai!" Jinora ran towards Kai, hugging the boy. Kai's face reddened and he laughed, Mako and Bolin just rolled their eyes. "Hey guys, sorry about running off..." Kai apologized to the brothers.

Mako sighed, "I get ya kid, I was once like you too." Mako said, "I guess I was too rough on you too, but promise me...never. Do. That. Again."

Kai nervously smirked, "Got it."

* * *

**Somewhere**

"Where are we?" Kelly asked as she stood up from the ground, the SPARTANs had been thrown out of the portal, but the trip had been tougher than they had expected. "Is this Requiem's inside?"

The Chief was confused, he didn't recognize this place. "This isn't Requiem." Chief said, "We're somewhere else."

"Wherever we are, this is the place where the rebels are hiding in." Fred stated. Blue Team slowly moved forward, they had fallen inside a small crevice within a plateau. Exiting the narrow passage of the crevice, they came towards a horrible sight.

SPARTAN BLACK Team...dead. Not only dead, but crucified, with pieces of their MJOLNIR Mk. VI armor ripped. Some of their heads had been cut off. This was a gruesome sight, even for the Master Chief. "Who could've done this?!" Linda reacted in anger.

Chief stood silent, his golden visor reflecting the carnage before him. Fred noticed this, "John, you alright?" He asked his brother-in-arms. The Chief nodded and walked towards the crucified SPARTAN-IIs, he picked up the helmet of one of them and looked deeply into it. He knew who was capable of doing this. The one being that was powerful and hateful enough to have come up with this.

The elder SPARTAN-II grabbed a nearby battle rifle that belonged to one of the deceased SPARTANs, he stuck the gun's barrel into the soil, and placed the helmet on top of the weapon's stock. "He knew we were coming." Chief said, readying his assault rifle.

Suddenly they were surrounded by insurrectionists and Red Lotus members, all armed to the teeth. With them a squad of Covenant Storm Elites appeared, they were led by Gek, Jul M'dama's second in command. "Demons, we have been expecting you." The fearsome Elite zealot said in English.

* * *

A monitor floated towards a dark room, the lights of the Forerunner chamber all led towards a giant throne. The green colored monitor was in panic, "Humans! They have entered this sector!" It yelled in it's robotic voice. "They are contaminating this pure site!"

On the throne, there sit a figure that once brought terror to the eyes and hearts of all living things in the galaxy. An ancient warrior of an empire long dead. "_Do not falter, Keeper._" The figure said in a deep yet threatening voice that echoed throughout the room. "_I look forward to welcoming them to **my world**!_"

* * *

_The Didact Cometh. _


	8. The Metal Clan

**Somewhere **

Blue Team was completely surrounded, by both Insurrectionists and Storm Covenant forces. But something was off about these rebels, they looked possessed. The Master Chief noticed that their eyes were colored yellow, and their expressions were bland. They were definitely under the thrall of someone, but John had a pretty clear idea who it was.

"Surrender, Spartans! You're surrounded!" One of the rebels shouted.

"Listen to your compatriot, demons, your fight is over." Gek stated approaching the SPARTAN-IIs, towering over them by a foot.

"You must be dumber than him then." Fred responded, the three lights in the Master Chief's HUD turned green. Gek roared in rage, turning his energy sword on and charging at Blue Team.

"Attack!" Chief yelled, the lights in his HUD turning red. The Chief unloaded his assault rifle magazine on the incoming elite commander, lowering his shields to nothing. Gek retreated, diving behind a boulder. Linda used her sniper rifle to effectively bring down all of the rebels behind them, all four of them with four bullets.

Fred threw two grenades at the bulk of the rebel forces, blowing them up. The survivors took cover behind some rocks. The Elites roared and fired their Plasma Repeaters at the Spartans, but Kelly took the initiative and with her battle rifle distracted them, the elites shifted their attention at her but none of their blasts even hit her energy shields, her movement was too fast for them.

The Master Chief reloaded his assault rifle, moving towards the boulder where Gek was hiding, as he approached the rock moved, Gek lifted it over his head and prepared to crush the Spartan with it. The elite commander threw it at the Chief, and in a moment that seemed to move in slow motion, the Chief decided that instead of moving out of the way he would show this bastard that he meant business. He punched the boulder and shattered into hundreds of pieces of rock.

Gek surprised moved back a bit, his expression reflected on the Chief's visor. The Master Chief aimed and rained bullets on Gek, his shields flashing as each full metal jacket round struck it. Gek once again furiously roared and ran as fast he could towards the Chief. The Master Chief avoided each sword slash and lunge. The Chief climbed over the elite's back, Gek couldn't shake the Spartan off, yelling in anger. The Chief unsheathed his titanium combat knife and stabbed Gek in his unprotected neck, the elite commander yelled as blood filled his throat. "This is for BLACK team." Chief whispered in his ear before the elite collapsed on the ground dead. The Spartan stood over the elite's dead body, cleaning the blood off his knife with his left hand, "Your master is next."

Fred used his armor's thrusters to hover over the rebels firing at him with assault rifles, Fred used his HUD to focus on the targets. Then with his thrusters he descended fast onto them and pounded the rocky ground where they were, killing all of them in the process.

The remaining Elites escaped when they saw that their commander was dead, running towards the ruins in the horizon. "Follow them." Chief ordered, Kelly and Fred looked at each other and followed the Chief, with Linda trailing behind watching their backs.

Within the Forerunner facility, a dreadful image walked though the glowing orange halls of the immense throne area. There the windows were full of the essences of the composed, people throughout history. "_There is something wrong..._" The Ur-Didact said while looking at the wailing composed, "Some_ of the shield worlds, they has disappeared._"

The monitor, 859 Static Carillon the administrative keeper of this facility, floated towards the last remaining Forerunner. "What do you mean, master?" It asked in it's robotic and smooth voice.

"_Several shield words that were once kept in contact with this place are now gone. Invisible to my omniscient eyes._" The Ur-Didact said as he looked at the expansive red that the Forerunner installations kept with each other, "_The most intriguing of them all is this one...a Builder world, named Genesis._"

"That is most worrisome." Carillon said.

"_I will take care of this error later, first I must deal with the humans on this world._" Walking out of the facility, the Didact placed this task behind his mind as he went on to deal with Blue Team personally.

* * *

**Earth Kingdom, Requiem**

The airship landed near a small canyon, Tenzin had received a call via radio from Lin a night ago saying she was on route towards Ba Sing Se to meet with them. Something important had occurred and the airbending master needed to know.

"So, aren't we supposed to go to Zaofu next?" Korra asked her mentor.

"Indeed we are, but Lin called me yesterday and asked us to meet her at these coordinates." Tenzin replied, the door opened and outside Lin was waiting, leaning next to her military-grade warthog, again thanks to the UNSC. "Lin." Tenzin greeted her.

"I have news from Republic City." Lin said bluntly. "Zaheer escaped confinement, along with his old team."

"What? Are you certain?" Tenzin asked.

"The UNSC has already sent out search team across the United Republic, but to no avail until he was spotted in the city. Now he's gone again."

"He must be searching for Korra." Tenzin said.

"Searching for me?" Korra asked, walking towards them as the others stretched out their limbs and breathed in the calm air. "What are you talking about?"

"I thought she knew." Lin said.

"Korra, when you were young there were several people trying to kidnap you. These people are bad news, and we must get away from them." Tenzin told Korra.

"I feel like you aren't telling me everything." Korra replied.

"Zaheer and his lackeys are anarchists, plain and simple. They tried bringing down world leaders eighteen years ago but failed when they tried breaching into your compound in the South Pole." Lin explained, "And you are the most powerful and influential world leader."

"Then we have to stop him!" Korra responded.

"No, we can't risk you getting into harm. You'll be going with Tenzin to Zaofu and staying there until the UNSC and I are done with this." Lin ordered Korra.

"Ugh...fine, since you have it all under control." Korra sarcastically said, "But if I need some protecting, you may have to stay with me."

"Absolutely not!" Lin barked.

"Korra's right Lin, I have to take the airbenders back to Air Temple Island anyway. You can stay with Korra and the others while at Zaofu." Tenzin supported Korra's idea.

Lin sighed, "Fine...just open the hangar to park my jeep."

* * *

**Deep Below Republic City**

The Meta walked through the dark hallways of the Forerunner installation below the city that once housed the Flood. In it he noticed high fluctuations of energy, raw power waiting to be claimed. The Meta touched one of the panels, it opened slowly, revealing a passage towards another room.

This room had a single console in the center, the Meta was eager to find the energies that his MJOLNIR armor was telling him about. He pressed against the console, the the blue highlights going about the room lightened brightly. The room shook, a hologram appeared in front of the Meta.

"A Reclaimer." It said once gazing at the power hungry Meta. "My systems indicate that you are weakened, your combat-skin is killing you."

The Meta roared trying to grab at the holographic person, who had no true shape and was just a collection of blue dots forming a humanoid shape. "You seek power." It said, "But this place is not the likes of you."

The Meta, furious, smashed the console and began to absorb the power by force. Curious, the Forerrunner ancilla began to look closer at the corrupted Freelancer, "Interesting. This Reclaimer is beyond all control, but he yet seeks to control his fate. Interesting indeed."

Finished, the Meta stood back up with his armor at 150% functionality. He looked at the AI and made growling sounds, wanting it to enter his helmet. "This shield world's keeper is gone, and most of my role here has been destroyed. Protocols do not say much, but I have been so bored. I want excitement."

The Meta pointed at his helmet once again, "You seem like a good candidate nevertheless. Very well."

* * *

**Moonbase Alpha, Moon**

Spartan Ackerman walked out of the firefight, her armor broken and her shields flickering. She took off her helmet and dropped it on the ground, she had medium-short black hair, pale skin and black eyes, she was gasping for air, her physical prowess pushed to the limit. Her entire fireteam, gone most likely, they were attacked by two mercenaries in MJOLNIR armor. One was wearing the Scout-variant and the other the LOCUS-variant. They had been severely wounded in the fighting as well, but they were still loose within the base.

Ackerman grabbed her helmet and limped towards the power conductor, it had short-circuited. She pulled the battery off, and looked for a replacement. The replacement battery was inside a locker station in the corner of the room. Ackerman plugged the battery into the power socket, electricity came back throughout most of the station. The security lockdown was lifted, and comms were back.

The SPARTAN-IV took cover next to the door again, holding onto her pistol, prepared for anything that was waiting for her outside. She pointed the pistol outside and quickly, in her Spartan time reaction, analyzed the entire hallway. Nothing. Ackerman sighed and put on her helmet on.

"Spartan Ackerman to Infinity, Moonbase Alpha online. Send back-up, over." She communicated to the ship.

"This is Infinity, we read you Infinity. We have biosigns from the base back, we have your signal and Lancer's." Infinity dispatch said. "Mission status?"

"Lord Hood and Capt. Lasky are not in the station. I repeat, Eagle and Hawk are not in the station. We have two hostiles within the station, they arrived in a Condor. Shoot any airship coming out of the station on sight, Infinity." Ackerman told the dispatcher.

* * *

**Zaofu, Earth Kingdom**

The airship arrived on Zaofu, Team Avatar's last location to find any remaining airbenders. Tenzin had already contacted Zaofu's administration and asked for an airship ride back to Republic City for the airbenders they had rescued from the Earth Queen's hands.

"Once you get there, tell your uncle and aunt to take good care of them." Tenzin told Jinora as he kissed his daughter on her forehead. "I'll be joining our trainees once I'm done meeting this final airbender."

"Okay dad." Jinora acknowledged. "Hey Kai, let e show you the training areas once we get there!"

"Nice!" Kai replied as the two held hands and walked towards the Zaofu airship. Tenzin sighed. The airbending master turned towards Korra and the others.

"I hope they are all right at Air Temple Island." Tenzin said.

Zaofu was enormous, everything was either concrete or metal. The city was enveloped in immense metal coverings that turned into a dome when night fell. It protected the city from raiders and any other unwelcome guests that resided in the wilderness.

"Can we just move on already?" Lin was angry, she was not looking forward in entering the city. A man came to meet them, he was well dressed and looked like someone important.

"Hello, my name is Aiwei and I will take you to see the Matriarch." The man said, "Please follow me."

As they followed Aiwei, Korra turned to speak with Tenzin. "Hey Tenzin, what's wrong with Lin?" She whispered.

"Lin's sister runs Zaofu." Tenzin replied, this surprised Korra and the others who were around them.

"Lin has a sister?" Mako asked. "Now that's surprising."

"Indeed, but the last time they both saw each other they were not in the best of terms." Tenzin explained. Exiting the air hangars, Team Avatar was met with UNSC SPARTANs waiting with several Zaofu guardsmen.

"Spartans? Here?" Bolin was confused.

"Why didn't we notice any pelicans?" Mako added. The Spartans approached them, halting Aiwei.

"Excuse me, sirs, but we are on our way to meet Matriach Suyin." Aiwei said, the SPARTAN-IV looked at Korra.

"We have been sent from the UNSC Infinity to safeguard the Avatar." The SPARTAN-IV said, "We have already spoken with your leader."

"Spartans, since you are here, could you help us secure the perimeter?" A young guard asked.

"We will, Captain Kuvira." The Spartan leader replied, following Kuvira towards the city. Korra was now getting an odd feeling about everything, people were after her for some weird reason that she didn't understand. At least the Spartans are here to help.

Once in the mansion that stood in the middle of the city, Korra looked over the balcony as the team waited for Suyin the Matriarch of Zaofu. "What a view huh?" Mako asked standing next to her, from there they overlooked over the entire city. The sun shined, the immense coverings creating shadows over parts of the city, the lovely blue sky and fresh air brushing against their faces. "Reminds of me home, of when Bolin and I still lived in the attic of the arena."

Korra remembered those days, the days when the only thing she worried about was Pro-Bending and some Equalists here and there. The days before the Forward Unto Dawn crashed landed, the days before the Covenant, the days before the Didact, the days before Vaatu...the days before all of this crazy business. "Yeah..." Korra replied, getting a bit of a warm feeling rushing through her body. "I'll miss you."

"Huh?" Mako confusedly replied.

"When you go to bootcamp at Earth...I'll miss you." Korra clarified, her cheeks turned red. She hadn't felt like this in months, not ever since the Pro-Bending days. When she met Mako and Bolin for the first time. "You must be excited."

"Being a marine has changed me quite a bit...before I would keep out of the important stuff. You know, stuff that was beyond me. But after seeing the Master Chief...he inspired me to become something bigger. To help. And with you around, how could I compare?" Mako said, "You and the Chief are the most incredible individuals I've ever met. But there's only I hold very dear to me."

Korra didn't know how to respond. "Besides looking forward for ODST training, I'm just preparing for the drill sergeant's screams. Heh."

"Hey guys!" Bolin called, Korra and Mako turned and looked at Bolin. "Suyin's here." The two walked back inside where Tenzin was greeting Suyin and her children.

"What were you two up to?" Asami asked.

"Just watching the overlook." Korra replied with a smile. "So, that's Suyin?"

"Yeah. Looks a lot like Lin...but less angry." Asami commented. Suyin was Lin's half-sister, they both shared the same mother but had different fathers. She was younger than Lin, about 5 to 8 years younger, but looked experienced from her job as head of state of Zaofu. She wore a green tunic with dark green over her shoulders, metal bracelets and a metal ring on her head signaling her role as leader.

"Nice to see you again, Tenzin. It's been too long." Suyin hugged the old airbending master. "Well hello there, Lin. Aren't you gonna greet your baby sister?"

"Ugh." Lin reluctantly hugged Suyin. "I'm only here because the Avatar needs security detail."

"Don't be so a prune, sis." Suyin replied, "And the Avatar and her friends, welcome to Zaofu! Nice suit."

"A pleasure to meet you Matriarch Suyin." Korra and the others bowed before Suyin.

"Ah just call me Su." Suyin said, "Its really nice for you to come visit Lin, its been years since mom and you visited."

"Yeah, whatever. Tenzin and Korra are here because the UNSC found that there was an airbender here in Zaofu." Lin explained.

"You must be talking about my daughter Opal. She's been trying to get used to her new powers ever since Harmonic Convergence. Come, we'll discuss it during dinner." Su said.

"Oh boy dinner! I'm starving!" Bolin exclaimed.

* * *

**Blue Team's Location**

"Where are we?" Kelly asked the team entered a Forerunner citadel when they followed the remaining Covenant units. "Looks Forerunner."

"Keep your eyes opened, this could be an ambush." Linda said, they walked through the metal street looking at their corners. At every building, anything that resembled a Jackal sniper.

"If this were an ambush..." Chief said, but was cut abruptly.

"_Humans. You stand on the Composer's Forge._" The Ur-Didact materialized over them, his gigantic figure blocking out the sun. Immediately the Chief aimed his assault rifle at the Forerunner's head.

"Weapons free!" Chief ordered, Blue Team fired at the ancient Promethean, their bullets ricocheting off the Didact's armor.

"_Predictable._" Didact said, stomping the ground producing a small earthquake and bring Blue Team down easily. "_See what you fear ...and attempt to kill it. Even when your nightmare has already won._"

The Chief stood back up, he noticed that the Didact was holding onto an activation index. But for what? There was no Halo here, they weren't on one, or there was none at orbit. That must be the activation index of the Composer's Forge.

"_How does it feel, human? To know that you have provoked the anger of the most powerful being in the cosmos?_" Didact walked towards the Master Chief while the rest of Blue Team stood back up, ready to fire at the Warrior-Servant.

"Whatever you plan to do, it will fail." Chief replied, firing his assault rifle once more. The Didact lifted his right arm and Blue Team became statues unable to move.

"_You previously proved yourself a capable warrior, human. You almost gave your own life for your race, an attitude that I share. Eons past I gave myself up for the Forerunners. Sacrificed my children, my life, my love...my sanity for the betterment of the Forerunners and our Mantle of Responsibility._" Didact said, "_Now I will finish what I started thousands of years ago. I must prepare this galaxy for the inevitable conflict that comes over the horizon. And if that means humanity's end then so be it. Two birds with one stone._"

The Didact looked at the Chief, "_Return to my former home, return to Requiem and prepare for my final judgment. Begone!_" Blue Team felt the force similar to that of a plasma explosion hit them hard once the Didact made a pushing motion. They were thrown into a teleporter, back to where they started.

The Didact looked over the teleporter as it shut down. 859 Static Carillon floated towards the Didact, happily humming as it did. "Wonderful news, your orders have been followed to the letter! I do hope that you hold to your promise." It said.

"_Good. Prepare the Composers, and the coordinates to the ring._" Didact said.

"If you don't mind me asking, master, but what is your intention for the Composers, and Installation 03? Are you really going to protect them from use?" Carillon asked.

"_Ever since my absence, the galaxy has fallen into disarray. I intent in bringing the bright light of the Forerunners back to the universe. But first I'm retaking my world, and later...I'm putting a menace down for good._" Didact replied, walking back towards his throne room. Carillon floated, watching the Promethean leave, and it thought about what he had said.

"Oh no..." Were the words that escaped from Carillon.

* * *

**Zaofu, Earth Kingdom**

Sitting around the dinner table, the large dinner table, Team Avatar and the others enjoyed their meal. They hadn't eaten like this in weeks, Opal and her brothers took their seats. As soon as she stepped in, Bolin hadn't taken his gaze off her, even stopping mid-way his plate.

"Tenzin, you say that you have been looking for airbenders?" Suyin asked.

"Indeed, ever since Harmonic Convergence things changed drastically. Spirits live freely in the material world and vice versa. And the air nomad race was reborn. We began our trip once we were told that airbending reports had been sent to the UNSC." Tenzin replied.

"They must've received Aiwei's reports to the Ba Sing Se. I swear I hate the Queen, but she is needed whether we like it or not." Su said, "Well here's the most talented airbender in the entire world, say hi Opal."

"Mooooom." Opal felt embarrassed.

"Don't be so modest honey. So what do you want with the new airbenders?" Suyin asked.

"I'm rebuilding the Air Nomad race and culture, and I would like Opal to join us." Tenzin answered.

"Opal leaving Zaofu? I don't know..." Su thought.

"Mom, can I please go?! This is my perfect change in exploring the outside world! To learn new things!" Opal quickly said.

"No, Opal. I can't let you go." Su said, and with a glance that meant it was final. Opal sat back on her seat, looking sadly at her plate.

"Su, don't you think that Opal should learn to control her powers? At least let her try some airbending moves first with me, if she doesn't like it then she can stay." Korra said, offering another solution. Mako was actually kinda surprised with this new diplomatic Korra.

"Hmm...alright. Opal can train with you." Su agreed. "As long as you don't make her shave her hair."

Korra laughed, "I won't, promise."

Bolin slowly moved his head towards Opal who was smiling that she was going to learn some airbending techniques. "Um...can I help you?" Opal asked the earthbender.

"Oh...uh...hi?!" Bolin quickly responded. Luckily the others were distracted with their own conversations.

"Yeah...hi." Opal responded.

"So um...airbender. Cool. I can move rocks!" Bolin tried to break the ice.

"You're Bolin right? I heard about you in the radio." Opal remembered, "Oh you're the Pro-Bending team that got their match interrupted by Amon!"

"Yeah...we almost beat the Wolfbats. Luckily for them, Bolin went easy and Amon went hard." Bolin joked. Opal giggled at Bolin's silly attitude.

* * *

**Installation 03 (Gamma Halo)**

The Didact looked over the Composer's Abyss, the resting place of the Composer that had been stolen by the UNSC and then used by the Didact himself on Earth. The Didact prepared to prevent the Reclamation from commencing, there was still time to stop the twilight of the Forerunner light from occurring. And only the Protector of the Ecumeme could do so.


	9. Path to Ruin

**Moonbase Alpha**

* * *

Blue Team was teleported to Moonbase Alpha, they appeared in the center of the carnage filled main corridors. Dead marines scattered around; the Meta's work. When the SPARTAN-IIs stood back up, they instantly got a radio signal. "This is Lancer, is anyone out there? Power's back." One of the SPARTAN-IVs of Fireteam Lancer communicated. "We are at..." Then static.

"We're in the moon." Linda said, dusting off her sniper rifle's scope. "How the hell did we get here?"

"That teleporter must have a pretty long range." Frederic added, "Everyone still in one piece?"

"Yeah." Chief replied checking his assault rifle. "This is Blue Team, Fireteam Lancer do you copy?"

He was responded with static. "Jammer?" Kelly asked.

"Doubt it." Chief responded. "Lancer respond." Then the radio began to light up.

"This is Spartan Ackerman of Fireteam Jaeger, I'm close to your position Blue Team." Another Spartan responded. "I'm making my way there. There are two hostiles loose in the facility, Blue Team. Watch your backs."

"That would explain the decorations." Fred inspectioned the blood and guts splattered on the steel white walls.

"Alright Blue Team, let's wait for Ackerman." Chief said, "Then we get back to Requiem."

* * *

**Camp Preston Cole, United Republic**

Commander Keith, the officer in charge of Camp Preston Cole and the appointed UNSC Governor of Requiem, a position that has only been recognized by the United Republic, equipped his ODST BDU and loaded his M6C Magnum. The alarm shriked throughout the mostly empty base, since most of the Marines and personnel had been sent off-world, either back to Earth or their respectivie colonies, for Thanksgiving leave.

"Commander, I don't think you should be going out there." Lieutenant Zami said, trying to adjust her helmet that was too big for her head. Zami was a Requiem native, and had never actually experienced battle before. She had been boosted to the officer rank because of her father's political influence with the United Forces. Commander Keith was already prepping the United Forces and several international military groups to become Requiem's PDF under the command of the CAA thus allowing the UNSC Fleet above to leave the system. The Orbital elevators and satellites were mostly ready, with Republic City Station prepared.

"We are the defenders of this place, Zami, ain't no one going to help us now." Keith said in his thick American Southern accent. The Commander was about thirty years old, had fought as a naval recruit and later as a Warrant Officer in the UNSC Navy during the Human-Covenant War. Witnessed the attack on Sigma Octanus IV and the Fall of Reach, both events leaving him grizzled and with a sense of duty that could be found in many of the veterans of the war. "Reckon that the guards have already alerted the other outposts."

Zami followed the Commander outside the armory, "We gotta neutralize the hostile, field report said that its the same tango that destroyed outpost RC234." Keith explained, "Get that pistol ready."

As they got outside they noticed that the main gates had been opened, not forcefully brokened through. A warthog had been throwned into one of the buildings, making a big hole, and three guards lied dead on the grounds, one of them being burned. "Oh no..." Zami said.

"Put on your helmet and activate the VISR mode." Keith ordered putting on his ODST helmet. "That rascal gotta be close by."

Stepping out into the courtyard where most of the battle had been taking place, Kieth looked at his corners. The VISR scanning for any targets that were using active camoflauge. "_Humans._" A voice echoed. "_Such fascinating yet disturbing creatures._"

"What was that?!" Zami was creeped out, she was barely holding her pistol.

"Show yourself." Keith responded.

A loud stomp was heard behind them, the Commander and Lieutenant turned to see a massive man standing in front of them, cladded in MJOLNIR Mk. VI EVA power armor. "You're no Spartan, identify yourself." Keith said.

"_I am designate Contender-class Forerunner ancilla, Offensive Bias, commander of the Forerunner remnant fleet. It was I who assured your birth...human, by repelling the traitor's infested fleet._" It said through the helmet speakers of the Meta.

"A Forerunner AI." Keith wisperred to Zami. "Alright, you're an ancient AI, what do you want?"

"_I was awoken when the prisoner was freed."_ Offensive Bias said, "_After the Battle of the Manginot Sphere, I and the rest of my fleet were laid to rest here...on Requiem, the bastion of the last Forerunner in the galaxy. Tasked in protecting the Ur-Didact, to overseer his sleep and the guardian of the prison within the astral plane." _

"Could you repeat that...in English?" Keith responded, still aiming his magnum at the Meta, who stood just two meters away from them.

"_Vaatu was freed. My mission forfeit. But then I learned that the Ur-Didact was missing as well, so I took over this vessel, the one before you, so I could be reunited with my creator._" Offensive Bias answered, "_And what I want from you humans, is transport._"

Then the Meta pointed at the hangar bay, within it was a fully-functional transport vessel...a Longsword. "Like hell I will, open fire Lieutenant." Keith ordered, they both fired their magnums at the Meta. The bullets hitting the super-soldier's energy shields. But thanks to Offensive Bias's super advance processors, the Meta's shields were 10 times stronger than a standard MJOLNIR Gen 2 energy shielding system.

The Meta grunted, moving faster than the eye could see, running circle around the Commander and the Lieutenant. "I can't get a clear shot, Commander!" Zami was panicking.

"Fuck!" Keith was growing furious, this thing was something else. He had never seen something like it before, no Spartan or Elite for that matter moved like this thing. "Reload!"

As they reloaded, the Meta went in for the attack. Grabbing them both by the breastplate and throwing them at a nearby warthhog. "Agh...agh..." Zami fell on her right arm, and by the sheer force it had been broken.

"Lieutenant!" Keith yelled, he had landed on his back, but thanks to the ODST BDU, he had survived. He looked at the Meta, who was slowly walking towards them. Keith looked up, the warthog's turret! "That's it!"

He jumped ontop of the vehicle and manned the 50 cal turret. "Steel rain!" He yelled firing the turret at the Meta. The 50 cal bullets bouncing off the energy shields, but nevertheless weaking it slowly. The Meta, laughed at the attempts of the naval officer in killing him. Keith was not believing what he was seeing, that thing was eating high caliber bullets like breakfast.

The Meta rushed towards him, grabbing the warthog and ripping it in two. Zami fell on the ground, still agonizing. The Commander fell off the turret, he had nowhere else to go. The Meta stood over him, "_Human, will you now tell us how to enter that building?_" Bias asked.

"For a Forerunner AI...you're pretty stupid." Keith smirked. The Meta grabbed him by the collar, "I was just distracting you."

A light shone over them, it was a UH-144 Falcon, aiming its guns at him. A M808 Scorpion tank and several Gauss warthogs rolled into the base, pointing their cannons at the Meta. UNSC Army troopers also came in, wielding Railguns, rocket launchers, and sniper rifles. "You're surrounded, sonny."

Metalbenders jumped over the walls of the entrance, and over the rooftops of the camp, bending the earth around the Meta. "_A great tactical maneuver, human. I am impressed. But no matter, if I cannot gain access via diplomacy then I shall gain it by force._" The Meta dropped the Commander on the ground and faced the UNSC force aiming at him, putting his bloody gloved hands up.

But as soon as a trooper approached the Meta, he ran faster than the eye could catch. Ramming into the metal gates, bending the metal with his hulkish body. The Falcon immediately started firing at the rogue Freelancer, the Meta turned and decided to jump over the concrete ceiling of the base. Using his superior physical strenght, he stomped in by force into the hangar. Army troopers opened the hangar's gates, swarming in to secure or take down the Meta, but when they did the Condor inside began to come to life, its engines roaring. The Condor, piloted by the Meta, flew past the troopers who took cover as the transport vessel flew into the air in high speeds.

Keith stood up, with Zami over his shoulders, "Command isn't going to like this one bit." He said as he watched the Condor fly into the dark clouds and disappear.

* * *

**Zaofu, Earth Kingdom**

The night. Cool and serene, with the moon shining in the dark sky. Korra looked at Requiem's celestial partner, its many craters, and ravines, visible to the naked and untrained eye. She then looked at her right forearm, the metallic armor covering it, blue highlights running over it, shining. This armor, the Aegis, reminded her of the tribal armor that Water Tribe warriors wore into battle. The suit enhanced all of Korra's natural inborn abilities, and Avatar State twice its normal output. Then she began to remember the words that the AI in the Tree of Time told her before she exited the tree.

* * *

_Once you exit the Tree, you will forever be connected to the great vastness of the Domain._

"The Domain...what is it?"

_An organism. A living being that once brought all Forerunners together, made us all one. After the firing of the Array, it felt silent, the Tree of Time was not able to hail it anymore. But it seems that after you unlocked the Southern Portal, you awoke it._

The Warrior-Servant combat skin floated around her, her clothes vaporized by the tree's energies.

_Put on the sacred armor of the Forerunners, the Shield of Might, for it will be as if it were your very flesh and bone._

The combat skin momentarly fused with Korra's body, its systems becoming one with Korra's brain and nervous system. Its metallic fibers coordinating with her muscles, and so on. The thousands of voices that once shared Korra's soul, that once told her wisdom and duty were replaced with millions upon millions of screaming voices that just repeated one word: **VENGEANCE! VENGEANCE! VENGEANCE! **

_Avatar Korra of the Human Imperium, Protector of All Life, Inheritor of the Mantle of Responsability, are you ready to enter the war machine of your forefathers? The Sword of The Vengeful?_

Korra's once azure eyes opened revealing wrathful crimson eyes, her emotions overflown with the cries of trillions of Forerunners. She was their vehicle, and they were her power. "I am."

* * *

Korra closed her eyes, remembering that memory that was almost surely lost, but she retained it. Ever since then she has always made time for this. Every night a moment of peace and quiet to focus her spiritual self into connecting with this Domain. She sat down in a lotus style and breathed in deeply.

She began to see a small white light. Looked like the moon, but bigger, in front of her. Her eyes were closed but she could see, Korra covered her eyes from the bright light. The ground she stood on shook and a figure now floated within the light's core. It looked angelic, wings expanding the diameter of the circular shape of the light.

Korra opened her eyes, "That was...odd." She stood up and went inside her guest room for the night.

* * *

**Air Temple Island, Republic City**

"After last night's firefight in the UNSC encampment, Commander Keith has called for the manhunt of a man wearing power armor, similar to that of the SPARTANs. More at eleven." Kya was listening to the radio. She sighed.

"All of these fascists and stuff and even more deaths." Kya said, she was disapproving of the UNSC and its militaristic government they had established. The front door was knocked, she had been receiving new airbenders for a while, so she went to open the door. A bald headed man stood on the other side, he smiled.

"Hello, my name is Yoro and I heard this is the place to come if you're a new airbender." He said. Ikki and Meelo who were nearby quickly pushed Kya asside and welcomed the new airbender.

"You bet mister!" Meelo responded.


	10. The Terror Within

**Camp Preston Cole, United Republic**

"Commander, I did not get your report." A person in a black uniform said.

"Well I reckon that tending to my wounds was more important." Commander Keith said, sitting behind his desk. "Now, fancy seeing the Office of Naval Intelligence sending out officers to question us lowly non-spooks."

"The man that attacked you, the Freelancer, he is using stolen property and a stolen artifact." The ONI spook stated. "We want your full report, Commander."

"You'll get after I have spoken with Lord Hood and Captain Lasky, I have been told that our friends in the Fire Nation have given them transport." Keith responded.

"Commander, I don't think you understand..."

"No, I don't, agent. Now if you excuse me..." Keith said while standing up. "I have a base to tidy up."

The agent watched as Keith left the office, he took out his communicator, "What's the situation in Moonbase Alpha?" He asked.

"SPARTAN-IV teams have secured the base, sir. SPARTAN-II Blue Team aided them."

"Well, what about our second objective?"

"We have a team on premises, contact is being established."

"Good."

* * *

**Air Temple Island**

Zaheer sat in the middle of the training arena of the temple, thinking deeply into the plan put in place. The others were waiting for his word, the location of the Avatar was of upmost importance. Freedom was the end goal, and through the Avatar, they shall achieve it.

"Mister?" Ikki asked Zaheer. "Are you okay, you look sad."

"Oh, I am okay, thank you for asking young one." He replied, opening his eyes. "Ever since I got my new abilities, I have been looked down upon by my peers, by the people I called friends."

"Aw don't feel bad, mister, you're among airbenders now!" Ikki responded gleefully, "I am sure that once Korra finishes up looking for more, she will tell you how awesome it is to have bending!"

"Speaking of the Avatar, where has she gone to?" Zaheer asked. But before Ikki replied, Kya approached them.

"Time for dinner." She told them, Ikki ran quickly back inside. She turned to Zaheer, who was known as Yoro to the them, she was suspecious of this man. "Say, when did you get your powers?"

"Four days ago. Why?"

"Oh nothing. Come on in." Kya and Zaheer aka Yoro entered the temple.

"Would you excuse me, I have to use the restroom." Zaheer said, Kya nodded. Zaheer slowly walked away, entering a hallway, and waiting for Kya to leave the vicsinity. Zaheer explored the place, hoping to stumble into Master Tenzin's office and find documents about his trip with the Avatar.

Entering the office, he noticed a small shrine nearby. It was dedicated to the legendary Guru Laghima, the airbender who discovered the secret of weightlessness. He grabbed the small gold necklace ontop of a painting of the guru. He read it... _Let go of your earthly tether. Enter the void. Empty and become wind._

He noticed Ikki, once again, along with Meelo this time, approaching them. "Hey mister Yoro, Aunt Kya sent us to look for you." Ikki said, "What are you doing in my dad's office?"

"Oh, I got lost in my way back, but then I stumbled into this. Have you kids heard of Guru Laghima?" Zaheer asked them, the kids shook their heads. "He was an ancient airbender who discovered a way to gain the abiliaty to fly. He did it by letting go of his earhtly attachments, much how normal airbenders meditate to free their minds."

"Oh wow, dad never said we could fly!" Meelo replied. "That's cool!"

Zaheer smiled at the kids' innocence, "Its more complicated than just regular meditation, but we all can obtain what Laghima obtained." Zaheer then noticed Kya's shadow in the doorway.

"Kids go back to the table with your mother and the others." Kya said, Ikki and Meelo ran back to the table not wanting to get in trouble. "For a novice, you seem to know a whole lot of airbender history."

"What can I say? I love history." Zaheer responded, feeling that his cover was blown. They were in a stand-off, looking at each other to see who would make the first move. Then one of the radios in Tenzin's office made a noise, static, and a voice came through. It was Tenzin.

"Kya, are you there? I wanted to check in since I had forgotten to do so, Korra and I are in Zaofu at the moment. Mark it on your map for future reference, you should see Lin's face. Anyway, we'll be back by next week." Then it felt silent once again.

Zaheer smirked. "Well then." He said, "I enjoyed my time here. See you later, Kya." Zaheer then spun his airbending staff, which had been given to him when he first arrived. The sheer force of the wind pushed Kya through the wooden wall of Tenzin's office, making the master waterbender land hard on the granite ground of the outside.

Zaheer stepped out, preparing to glide away and rejoin his team. But he was stopped by Kya, "Still standing?" Zaheer said feeling the ice on his right foot. He cracked it using his staff.

"You won't be going anywhere soon, traitor." Kya respoded, bending a water whip from a nearby well. The strikes were avoided by Zaheer's superior agility, jumping and rolling out of their way. He threw a whirlwind at Kya, who wasn't able to see it coming, pushing her hard into the bay's waters, but Kya now being inside her element threw a wave of water at Zaheer. Within the waters, there were several ice spikes ready to pin Zaheer into the ground. Zaheer spinned his staff so rapidly creating a mini tornado, dispatting the incoming wave and spikes away from him. But he didn't catch Kya incoming with a fist surrounded with ice, hitting right square in the jaw. Zaheer stepped back, he had subestimated the waterbender by a large margin. He would not make a similar mistake again.

Zaheer used his airbending-enhanced speed to run up to Kya, evading all of her strikes and grabbig her with his staff by the neck and then flipping her into the ground, making a loud thud. He then made a current of air beneath Kya, making her spin in the air rapidly, and then throwing her back into the office. Kya crashed into the desk and radio equipment that was there, knocking her out and breaking some of her ribs.

The Red Lotus leader took this chance of getting away, using his new staff to glide into the air and leaving the temple with the information he and his team needed.

* * *

**Zaofu**

Fireteam Horus, the SPARTAN-IV team sent to Zaofu, patrolled the streets of the city. The citizens looked at the giants with awe, their grey/gold armor color pattern shining. Zaofu had long abandoned the tales of old about the Star-Lords and the Ancients, but these Spartans were the closest thing to demigods.

"Any news?" Spartan Jonesy asked the team leader.

"Nothing." Spartan Fireteam Leader Donar replied, the team was then joined by the Captain of the Guard of Zaofu, Kuvira. "Kuvira, we located several fault lines across the city."

Donar took out his tec-pad, "This is a map of the city, the question marks represent the areas that we found questionable."

"Thank you, Donar." Kuvira replied, looking at the map.

Spartan Andrews whispered to Jonesy, "They're on a first name basis now, isn't that out of character for him?"

"Does it matter?" Jonesy asked.

"It kinda does." Another member of the fireteam said, Spartan Wulf. "Our mission is to oversee the Avatar, not to mingle with the locals."

"There is a tunnel, here. I do not where it leads, but we noticed tire tracks leading away from it." Spartan Donar pointed at one particular area of interest.

"And there are no guard routes there. I don't like it." Kuvira replied, "I will check that area myself."

Korra had placed her armor away, and was back using her regular water tribe garb again. It looked like everything was going alright, nothing out of the ordinary. She was out in the backyard of Suyin's home where there were multiple metal statues and metallic stones laying around. Korra was practicing her earthbending and metalbending, which she seemed to be able to use only under the enhanced Avatar State.

She was able to levitate a piece of steel, but couldn't change its form. "Geh...!" Korra grutned as she tried to mold the metal alloy into something else.

"You're trying too hard." Suyin said walking towards the Avatar, accompanied by Opal. "You gotta feel the bits and pieces of earth within the metal, to tune your earthbending in the right way."

Bolin walked by, having been sent by Mako to get some food to the market, he saw the trio talking. He noticed Opal was there and immediately went to see what was going on.

Korra focused, looking at the piece of steel that floated in between her hands. She could feel the pieces of earth inside the steel, pieces that once were iron. She began to move them, and voila the metal begna to shift. "Wow!" Korra was surprised.

"Impressive, Korra. I've never seen anyone master metalbending in just ten seconds by just being told what to do. But I guess Avatars are more proficient than the average earthbender." Suyin congratulated Korra.

"Can you teach me?" Bolin approached them, "All my life I've wanted to be a metalbender! I'm already really good at earthbending too!"

"Alright Bolin, show me what you can do." Suyin said.

Bolin took his Pro Bending fighting pose and lifted a boulder off the ground, and with his bending, he ripped it in two and made four rocks off the big one. And then he crushed them turning them into several pebbles.

"Woah." Opal was in awe.

"Good job, Bolin!" Korra was surprised, she didn't know that Bolin had been practicing.

"Hm, you are quite the proficient earthbender." Suyin said. She grabbed the piece of steel from Korra's hand and threw at Bolin. He caught it. "Try to bend the steel."

Bolin was confident and nodded, he looked at the steel ball. He wiggled his fingers over the metal, but it remained still. Bolin tried again...nothing. He tried again, harder. Still motionless. He sighed.

"Don't worry Bolin, not every earthbender is born to be a metalbender." Su said taking the metal ball from Bolin. "But you're a superb earthbender, keep that up."

"Thanks!" Bolin thanked the older woman, who left walking with Korra to talk about other things about Opal's airbending training.

"Hey Bolin, wanna have some lunch?" Opal asked him.

"Yeah!" He replied.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

The Master Chief and Blue Team were delivered to the Infinity, along with the last survivor of Fireteam Jaeger. Spartan Ackerman was taken elsewhere to be treated for her injuries, while the elder Spartans were taken directly to Captain Lasky who had been returned to the ship by the UNSC dispatch in the Fire Nation.

"Blue Team, what were you doing in Moonbase Alpha?" Lasky got to the point, the SPARTANs life sings were detected coming out of the blue. Out of thin air, and this worried the young captain.

"Captain, the Didact is still alive." Master Chief replied, "We followed known insurgents into a underground cavern in the Oden Mountains, close to the detention facility. We discovered a gate way that expanded throughout Requiem and other Forerunner installations nearby."

"This isn't good...you saw the Didact?"

"Affirmative, sir. He is in a unknown location. SPARTAN-II BLACK Team was there..." Chief took out the SPARTANs dog tags and gave them to Lasky. "Spartans never die."

Chief walked away, with Kelly following close behind. "As of now we don't know what's the Didact's next move, but he was being protected by Covenant Storm units and Insurgents, both from the Red Lotus and the local Insurrectionists." Fred said.

"Any word of Ilsa?" Lasky asked while putting the dog tags in one of his pockets.

"No word." Linda answered.

The Chief walked towards the mid area of the ship, where the enlisted and naval personnel basically went on their leaves. There was a holographic sky, and a huge area for recreation, it reminded the elder Spartan of the Cairo Station back on Earth but bigger.

In the middle of the pavillion, there were several statues. The tallest one was him, the Master Chief, to his right was NOBLE-Six, and to his left was Sergeant Avery Johnson. A SPARTAN-I, a SPARTAN-II and a SPARTAN-III. The trio representing the eras of Spartan Supersoldiers who had given up their lives in the line of duty. Chief was believed to be dead for many years, almost a decade of no word.

The Chief looked at the statues, their reflection adorning his golden visor. The marines and sailors on leave were on awe as soon as they heard the heavy footsteps of the Master Chief approaching the statues. On the base was a plaque, its said: _HEROES NEVER DIE. THEY ARE JUST MISSING IN ACTION_.

He took out Cortana's chip and looked at it...there will never be a statue made out of her. No one will remember her sacrifice, no one except a select few. The history books will forever ignore that an AI...saved the human race from annihilation. Multiple times. The Chief knew that his actions, his feats, would've been impossible without the help of his blue AI helper.

"We'll get him, Chief." Kelly said, appearing behind the Chief.

"We will." Chief responded putting the chip away. "Let's get down planetside and resume our search."

* * *

**Zaofu, Earth Kingdom...three days later**

Midnight. The moon shined over the protective layers over the city, pure metal that impeded any sort of invasion force that dared to siege Zaofu. No entrance and no exit, at night. The safest city in the entire world, not even the Fire Nation Capital came close to it.

Korra was fast asleep in her room, feeling secure that none of those Red Lotus terrorists would try anything on her life. Especially since she was busy finishing Opal's beginner airbending training.

Mako and Bolin shared a room, and slept on seperate beds. Pabu was sleeping over Bolin's chest, his tail tickling Bolin's nose. "Sigh, Pabu..." Bolin said in a tired voice moving the little creature off him. He shifted his view towards the window, but in his sleepy gaze he noticed shadowy figures moving outside. "Uh oh." He said, coming out of bed and shaking his brother to wake up.

"What do you want Bolin?" Mako said, annoyed that he was shaken out of his dreams.

"Shh..." Bolin placed his finger over his mouth signaling Mako to whisper. "I just saw people going towards Korra's room."

Mako quickly got off bed, and signaled Bolin to follow him outside.

Korra slowly opened her eyes upon hearing a noise coming out of her window, thinking it was Pabu or some squirrel, Korra got up to scare off whatever it was. But instead of a nighttime animal, she found four people standing in the shadows. Korra quickly went in the defensive, waking herself up essentially, but before she could attack or move into cover, several darts impacted her exposed skin. "Ah!" She yelled in pain as the sharp needles delivered a heavy dose of sedatives. The sedatives numbed her muscles and knocked her unconcious.

Zaheer came out of the shadows and quickly grabbed Korra and placed her over his shoulder. "Let's get out." He said. The group left the room, but as soon as they got through the alleyway they had entered they were stopped by the light of the patrolmen. "Security guards!" Ghazan said.

"Take them out!" Zaheer ordered. Ghazan turned the metallic floor into lava, super heating the metal. The guards had to jump out of the way before they were burned to a crisp. Ghazan then used a piece of rock big enough for them to quickly move through the lava. They reached the middle of the area, and as soon as they did they were surrounded by the security force, commanded by Captain Kuvira who had been woken up.

"Give up, Zaheer." She said appearing before them, taking a fighting pose. "You have no where else to go." Spartan Fireteam Horus took formation around her, aiming their weapons at the Red Lotus.

"Your space dogs don't scare us." Ming Hua hissed. Zaheer looked at Ghazan, and Ghazan nodded. In a swoop of his right foot a circle of lava came into existance around them. Kuvira and the Spartans backed away, so did the security officers. Ghazan then raised a rock wall, preventing the Spartans from bringing them down.

One of the members of team Horus prepared to throw a grenade over the wall, but was quickly stopped by Kuvira. "Stop! The Avatar is being held hostage in there." She told Spartan Donar, he looked at her and agreed. "Bring down the wall!"

The metalbenders, who are expert earthbenders, prepared to crush Ghazan's wall and create a bridge in between the lava river that had formed around them. But as soon as they tried to nudge the rock wall, P'Li shot several combustion shots at the guards. The precision of each shot was incredible, the compacted air exploding in front of the guards who were knocked, burned or evascirated by the attacks.

Tenzin, Bolin, Mako, Asami and Lin joined Kuvira and her team. "Where's Korra!?" Tenzin asked worryingly.

"She is in there." Kuvira said, "The Red Lotus infiltrated us."

Tenzin looked at the protected terrorists, they couldn't do anything with that combustion woman in there taking shots at everyone. Several combustion shots came out and flew directly at Kuvira, hoping in taking her out. Donar pushed her out of the way and the shot hit the Spartan hard, pushing him several feet away, with his shields flashing and hist feet making two trails in the ground. "I'm fine, get to cover!" He yelled.

Team Avatar and Kuvira took cover under an improvised rock dome made by Lin, "Alright, we gotta get Korra out of there!" Mako said.

"How?!" Bolin asked.

"There is a hole in the top of the metal dome over us, its directly over them." Kuvira said, "We could send someone up there to quickly come down and snatch Korra."

"That could work if that combustion woman wasn't there!" Lin responded. "We have to take her out first."

Su joined them, taking cover below the rock shield dome. "I might have a way to help." She said. "Kuvira, distract them, tell your teams to keep the preassure."

"Understood." Kuvira got out and joined the others.

"Lin, follow me to the top. Bolin, listen and listen carefully, the combustion woman is the tallest of them all. I need you to, as soon as she sees Lin and I coming down over them, to throw a rock directly onto her forehead." Su said.

"How do you know it'll work?" Mako asked.

"I see what you're doing. Its just like how Uncle Sokka took down the Combustion Man..." Tenzin said.

"Impressive." Lin added.

"Yeah. I'm counting on you Bolin." Su and Lin left the dome. Bolin peeked over the dome and saw how the combustion woman was blowing the guards away. The Spartans' bullets being repelled by Ming Hua's water whip. It was up to him now.

Kuvira came under the rock dome again, this time she had a radio with her. "Take this, Su will tell you when she's ready." She said before going out into the fight once more.

A couple of minutes later, Korra began to gain conciousness. She saw the Red Lotus, she was on the floor while the terrorists were being besieged by her friends. She didn't move, instead she remained motionless, not wanting to draw attention to herself. Korra saw Lin and Su above, high in the point of the city's metal cover. They were ready to descend.

Suyin told Bolin through the radio that she was going to jump, Bolin prepared. He was a bit nervous, what if he failed? He had bragged about being a superb earthbender in front of Su and Opal so much that Su had placed all of her hopes on him. Bolin swept the sweat off his forehead, "Ready."

Lin and Su jumped off, being held by metal ropes similar to that of the metalbenders in Republic City. P'Li noticed them coming, she prepared to fire at them...time slowed down. Bolin bended a small rock and threw it. The rock flew through the air, passing by Zaheer himself, he felt the air of the rock passing by him.

The air condensed around P'Li's forehead symbol preparing for the shot. The rock hit her, blocking her chi path, the shot exploded near her. The explosion knocked the Red Lotus off their feet allowing Lin to grab Korra who was fully awake. Su knocked the barrier down before she was pulled back up. The smoke cleared, the Spartans and guards ready to bring down the terrorists. No one, there was no one. They had left. The Spartans hadn't detected them. "Damn." Kuvira said while pulling the bangs of her hair back and sighing.


	11. Office of Naval Intelligence

**Zaofu**

Korra was waiting outside Suyin's office, along with the Fireteam Horus leader Spartan Donar. The breach of security that the Red Lotus had taken advantage of was troublesome, and meant that Horus had failed in their mission in keeping Korra safe. But for Korra this meant that there was something spoiled in this city, and it wasn't no egg.

Donar reported the events to command, Commander Keith was worried, since he was essentially the commanding officer planetside while Palmer stayed in the Infinity. But Keith had told Donar some unwelcoming news, ONI had taken over the mission in looking out for Korra. And that there were sending a team to look after her, effectively replacing Horus. What Fireteam was this? Were they Spartans or...spooks? This wasn't good, ONI wanted something with the Avatar.

But nevertheless, Keith and even Captain Lasky had to swallow their pride and allow the spooks to conduct their business.

The door opened, inside were Su, Lin and Tenzin all surrounding Su's desk where a radio sat over of. "So what are we going to do?" Korra asked, sitting on the couch near where Tenzin stood.

"I have to return to Republic City, I have to teach the airbenders." Tenzin said, "Korra, you have to stay here."

"What about the Red Lotus?" Korra asked again. "We can't let them go! Especially now that our defenses are easy to bypass!"

"I have already sent Captain Kuvira to look through the city and the surrounding areas for possible entrances." Suyin said with a sigh, she was tired and angry that her supposedly inpregnetable fortress of a city had been infiltrated by a rag tag group of terrorists.

Spartan Donar was standing still, almost looking like a statue. "Terrain scans don't show anything out of the ordinary." He said, removing his helmet revealing a rather young looking man, probably around his mid-20s. His skin was fair, his hair was brown and medium cut, and his eyes were green resembling those of the Earth Kingdom citizens. "Whatever they did to get inside the city's walls and rooftop must've jammed our signals."

"Radio jammers..." Lin said, "That's the only way they could've gotten inside without being detected."

"But from where?" Su asked in frustation. "Spartan, I want you and your team to join Kuvira."

"Affirmative, ma'am." And with that Donar left the office.

"You give orders to Spartans now, Su?" Tenzin asked in awe, she just told a seven foot, armored clad, super soldier, to do her...essentially, her bidding. "Remarkable."

"I'm furious Tenzin, I don't want to think the worse..." Su said, sitting down in front of her desk, putting her hands on her face. "No one makes a fool out of me and my city."

Korra had to do something herself, and she knew what was the first thing she'll do.

In the area of the battle that had occurred the night before, Korra and her friends looked for clues. "The smell of melted rock still reeks out here." Asami said while she examined several pieces of dried magma. "Anything?"

"I can sense the way that the guy with long hair was able to melt the rocks..." Bolin said, "But aside from that, nothing."

Mako who had been trained by the UNSC to look for the tiniest of details looked at the battle zone with focus. He stood next to Korra who was looking at the blue sky, it was a lovely day and the white clouds adorned the sky. As he thought, his eyes moved to look at Korra, the sun's light reflected off her big blue eyes...Mako was thrown out of focus and was completely lost in Korra's visage. Yet again.

"Hey bro, what are you thinking about?" Bolin asked as he scratched his head while looking at the ring of ash.

"Uh, ah...aaahhh...um, well..." Mako cleared his throat, he walked towards the center where the Red Lotus had been taking their stand. "You guys are looking at the wrong places."

He entered the center and moved the broken rock wall away, there he found burned marks of the failed combustion shot that the Combustion Lady had made. Around the area were pieces of fallen knock-out darts that they had used against Korra. But there was also a piece of paper in the ground. "Aha!" Mako picked it up, he unfold it. "Meet me by the entrance point two minutes before midnight."

"A clue, good job Mako!" Korra congratulated the UNSC Marine.

"I aim to please." Mako replied, "But there is no signature and it couldn't have been Zaheer or any of his goonies."

"We have a traitor among us then." Asami said, she knew how it felt to be betrayed. "Let's take the note back to Suyin, maybe she knows who it is."

"No, she is already too worked up. I think we should give her more concrete proof of a traitor." Korra said. "We should look for possible culprits."

"How?" Bolin asked.

"Easy, there are only a handful of people that have as much of knowledge of the city as Suyin does." Korra replied, "We go to them, diplomatically question them, and turn them in to the Beifongs."

"Any idea who then?" Asami said.

"Well there's Kuvira for starters." Mako quickly said, "She's Su's military leader and right hand woman. Shot in the dark, maybe she wants a coup d'etat?"

"A what of what?" Korra asked.

Mako sighed, "A military takeover." He clarified.

"Nah I don't think so..." Korra thought, "Let's just question everyone."

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

"I am the de facto fleet commander of this sector, ma'am. And with all respect I want to know what you want with Korra." Lasky said, standing in front of a big screen. In the screen was the most feared person in the UNSC...the Admiral of the Office of Naval Intelligence.

"She is an asset, Captain, and like any asset she must be taken care of." Osman responded. "Unrestrained she might become an obstacle."

"Like Halsey?" There was a pause...

"Indeed, Captain Lasky. She must be taken by ONI and instructed to follow what's best for humanity." Osman stated, "We know that the Avatar does what's best for the people of Requiem, but that narrow minded sentiment that won't benefit our species at large."

"Admiral, this isn't the route to take." Lasky tried to reason with Osman, but to no avail.

"My decision is final, Captain. A team has already been dispatched from the UNSC _Hell Beneath Us_. I hope that you don't interfere. Osman out."

The screen was then black, Lasky walked towards the window nearby. He looked at vastness of space, "Roland, you already hacked into ONI's files?" He asked at the empty room.

A small hologram of a man in a 1920's airman outfit appeared, his looks avatar was based of Roland Beamont, a British fighter of the ancient human conflict World War II. "Yeah, and you wouldn't believe what I found."

"Show me." Lasky ordered the AI. The screen turned back on, several files and videos appeared on it. "Roland...you sneaky bastard."

"I do what I can." Roland bragged. "So, should we tell Korra and the others about this?"

"I would if I could. Unlike your sneaky code, comm channels are not very secure." Lasky said, "I would be tried faster than you could say 'bazinga'."

Lasky was not liking what ONI was planning, not one bit. They had been monitoring everything, all of it. Ever since Del Rio had been captain of the Infinity. The Master Chief, the Didact, Requiem, the Five Nations...the Avatar. Everything.

* * *

**Zaofu**

"So that's everyone in the city that has some knowledge of it." Asami said, "We even talked to Su's sons."

"Yeah don't remind me." Korra did not like talking to those boys. "Anyway, a brick wall. Now what?"

"What about Aiwei?" Mako asked. "He is like the city's butler."

"Hmm." Korra thought. "Yeah...that makes sense. Let's go give him a visit!" The group walked towards the house of the assistant. The house was a bit remote from the other buildings in this sector of the city, and it was built from the small hill behind it.

Korra knocked the metal front door, Aiwei answered. "Oh hello! Avatar Korra, its a surprise to see you here." Aiwei said in a bit of a surprise.

"Hi Aiwei, we just wanted to ask you a couple of questions." Korra replied, "Can we come in?"

"Sure sure!" Aiwei fully opened the door and invited them inside. Korra and the others took seat in the small living room, there was a fireplace and several bookshelfs. Aiwei then quickly brought them all cups of tea.

"Thanks." Asami said, drinking the green tea soflty.

"So Aiwei, we just wanted to know since you are close to Su, if you had seen anything suspecious." Korra said. "Like anything out of the ordinary from the people around Su?"

"Everyone has been worried after the attack...I haven't had time to question anyone since I've been working with the Guard to find what happened." Aiwei replied, "I'm sure that there must be some kind of explanation."

"Su said that you could detect lies, right?" Mako asked.

"Yes, I use the seismic sense as a lie detector." Aiwei confirmed.

"Then you could help us in finding the traitor behind this." Korra said feeling that Aiwei could be useful.

"I will most certainly aid in this." Aiwei said.

A Condor landed near the airship, the ship had the symbol of the Office of Naval Intelligence. The Condor's hatch opened, out of it were six ONI Spartans. Their armors were colored black and their visors were scarlet red colored, their MJOLNIR NOBLE armor and Commando Helmets. DMRs on their backs, with one of them carrying a SAW machine gun.

Spartan Donar and his team immediately got a radio signal, "Fireteam Horus, this is Agent Ajax, please report to me right now." A stern and cold voice ordered the SPARTAN-IVs. Spartan Jonesy gulped in small bit of dread, Spartan Wulf looked at his commander.

"Sir, the gooks..."

"Let's go." Donar replied.

The Spartans made their way to the hangar, there waited the six titanic figures. Their black armor only fueled Jonesy's uncertainty. As soon as Donar approched Agent Ajax, he gave the Horus commander a data pad. "Objectives. For your new mission." The almost seemingly soulless ONI operative stated.

"New mission?" Donar asked.

"Avatar Korra is now under our supervision. You and your fireteam are to stay in Zaofu from here on out." Ajax said, "Our eyes and ears in this part of the country."

With that said, Ajax and his team of ONI operatives walked pass Fireteam Horus. Spartan Wulf and Spartan Andrews looked at each other, "So...what now?" Andrews asked.

"Didn't you hear that gook automaton? We're grounded here." Wulf responded. "Just what we needed."

Donar sighed, "All right, let's join the Guards then, god knows they need our help."

Meanwhile, Korra and company had found, with the help of Aiwei, an individual that appeared to be hiding something. A guard, one of the midnight shift guards, a possible traitor. "Now listen here...!" Su said slamming her left hand on the metal desk in front of the man who sat cuffed into the very same table. They were inside a interrogation room, made out of steel, "You better tell us the truth, or you'll face dire concequences."

"But I...I already told you! I didn't do anything wrong." The guard responded with a broken voice and sweat falling from his forehead. Aiwei stood behind the man. Su looked at her man of confidence, Aiwei shook his head.

"You're lying! You let Zaheer and his group enter Zaofu! Why? Did they offer you money? Protection? What?!" Su asked.

Korra, Tenzin, Lin and the others were outside the interrogation room looking in from a polarized window. "She's pretty brutal." Asami said looking at how aggressive Suyin can really be.

"Yeah, she is." Lin replied.

"A true Beifong to the core." Tenzin stated with a smirk. Lin just grutned in annoyance. Mako who was attentively listening and watching the interrogation noticed something peculiar. When Su turned around and didn't look at the guard...the man had turned his head to Aiwei and had a face of fear on him as he looked at Aiwei and in response, Aiwei opened his eyes wide implying something.

"Hmm..." Mako mumbled to himself in interest. Su came out of the room with Aiwei, looking rather irritated.

"Take him to the holding cells." She ordered one of her honor guards.

"Yes ma'am." The guard acknowledged.

"No luck?" Korra asked.

"Nothing. The man is sticking up to the Red Lotus." Su answered. "But it won't be long until he breaks."

"But with him in custody there is no way for the Red Lotus to enter Zaofu again, correct?" Tenzin asked.

"With the Guards already looking for possible escape routes that Zaheer could've taken...yeah, I don't think we will be seeing them here again." Suyin said as she regained her normal jolly attitude.

"Its better now that you go back to Republic City, Tenzin, we have things under wraps here." Lin said.

"Of course, I'll be heading home then." Tenzin turned to Korra, "Keep practicing, Korra. I'll see you when all this craziness is over."

Korra hugged her old master, and later waved him goodbye as he headed towards the hangar to catch an airship back to the United Republic.

Team Avatar headed out of the Guard Building, which acted as the city's police department, and went to a nearby plaza. "Did you guys noticed Aiwei?" Mako asked his friends as they sat down around a circular red table, the plaza was full of people enjoying their warm day.

"Noticed what?" Asami asked.

"Now that you meantion it..." Korra said, "Something was off during that interrogation. The guy seemed to be turn his eyes to Aiwei after every question Su gave him."

"I'm not liking the sound of this." Bolin added.

"Aiwei is the only one that is trained to read the lies that people tell. It would be incredibly easy for him to pick some random person and put the blame on them." Mako stated, "It all makes sense now."

"Aiwei...a traitor?" Asami asked. "That doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah, it doesn't. But Mako is right, everything now points at him." Korra said, "I think its time we pay our dear lie detector another visit."

On their way back to Aiwei's home, they saw six black tall figured in armor approaching them down the street. They didn't look like Fireteam Horus... "Who are those?" Korra asked.

Mako focused on them, and noticed the ONI patch on their breastplates. "ONI..." Mako said in a serious demeanor.

"ONI? What tha heck is an ONI?" Bolin asked his brother.

"It means Office of Naval Intelligence." A cold voice answered, "Avatar Korra, you are to come with us."

"What?" Korra responded as the shadow of the ONI agent gloomed over her. "I ain't going nowhere with any of you. I have a job to do."

"So do we." Agent Ajax said, "Cronus..."

One of the other operatives took out something from his ammo pouch and gave it to Ajax. Ajax stopped Korra on her tracks, and knocked Korra out cold. "Korra!" Mako yelled, the people walking around them suddendly stopped what they were doing and looked at the ONI agents.

"Sir." Agent Rhea said.

"I know. You know what to do." Ajax ordered. Cronus, Rhea and the other 3 ONI operatives took out their DMRs. Mako and the others were frozen in fear as the weapons were aimed at them and at people around them as well. The agents fired, knockout rounds, the bullets hit the ground releasing a green mist that when inhaled made the indivudual dizzy and confused.

Mako coughed as soon as the mist entered his nose and then his lungs, he could feel his body giving in. Before he lost conciousness, he saw Ajax taking Korra away from him...and then pitch black.

Spartan Donar and Fireteam Horus heard the screams of the citizens that were being attacked, Kuvira did as well. The Spartans and the Guards rushed towards the scene, and found a green cloud engulfing the plaza. "Wait." Donar blocked Kuvira from advancing forward. "Knockout gas."

Kuvira looked at Donar, who put his helmet on, "Horus, inside, now." Donar ordered. The Spartan team entered the area, lots of people on the ground. Some of them were Korra's friends.

"I got three VIPs." Spartan Wulf informed.

"Good. Take the other people to safety, it'll take a couple of hours for this cloud to dispate." Donar said, "Damned spooks."

* * *

_One Hour Later..._

**UNSC Jotunheim**

Korra woke up, "Augh..." She felt as if 500 volts of electricity had traveled through her body and numbed her up. But then she felt that she couldn't move her arms or legs... she grunted as she tried to free herself but to no avail.

"Titanium-A cufflings surrounded by power modulators. Forerunner tech and some of our own." A voice said from the darkness of the room where Korra was being held in.

"Whoever you are, when I get out..." Korra threatened but before she could end her sentence the barrel of a M6C Magnum was aimed at her head. She looked at the weapon's barrel being held right at her, and a drop of sweat slided down her was Agent Ajax holding the high caliber pistol. Her armor had been torn out as well, leaving her with a damaged undersuit.

"Avatar Korra, we have been watching you ever since the defeat of the Didact back on Earth." The voice said, it was defienetely femenine, but also sounded sinister. "The fantastic power you hold dwarfs even the strongest of our warriors, powers not seen anywhere in the cosmos but here...on Requiem."

Korra listened to the supposed woman, she had to keep her cool or else it would be lights out for her. "Okay...so what do you want from me?" Korra asked.

"Only your cooperation." The woman replied. "We want to uplift mankind beyond our physical limits, the Spartans are only the beginning."

"You want to bend? Is that right?" Korra asked again, "This is an in born ability, not all of us have it."

"But the fact that this ability is only found in Requiem's humans and not on Earth's is...confusing if not scientically interesting."

"Again, I'll ask, what do you really want from me?"

A syrenge was introduced into Korra exposed arm, an area where her undersuit had been ripped off. "Ah!" Korra yelped in pain as the needle penetrated her skin without notice.

"Your DNA." The woman said, "To understand the genetic material that makes benders special, that makes you, the Avatar, unique."

"Its...its not something that you can explain through science." Korra responded, "At least, not your science." Korra remembered experiencing life through the eyes of the first Avatar not so long ago. "I assume that I'll be your prisoner from now on?"

"Oh goodness no, do you know what would happen if the Avatar went missing? Especially in a time like this? Now before you leave..." The woman said. "You belong to ONI now."

A serial code bar was imprinted on her arm, but as soon as the ink quickly dried it turned invisible to the naked eye. "Wherever you go, we'll be there in case we need more of your...cooperation."

Korra grunted in anger, then a blindfold was placed over her eyes and she was gagged so she wouldn't be able to speak.

* * *

**Zaofu**

A guard walked down the outer perimeter of the city, and heard a all terrain satomobile's engine coming to life. He followed the sound and saw the car going away. In it was Aiwei. "Hey! Stop!" The guard yelled, the guard walked towards where the jeep had left from. "Well I'll be..."

_Moments Later..._

"I can't believe this..." Su and the others were inside Aiwei's secret underground entrance/exit into the city below his home. "Aiwei was the traitor all along."

"He had the influence to do this, but why would he mingle with the Red Lotus?" Kuvira asked as she and the other guards inspected the area. Lots of plans and blueprints laid around, one was of a giant metal man which Kuvira found amusing. The exit had been blocked off with a boulder which Aiwei had forgotten to put back after leaving in a hurry. "Where is your sister, Mrs. Beifong?"

"She is with the others trying to figure out who took Korra." Su said, "Its just one bad thing after the other."

"I have already sent out a team to look for Aiwei." Kuvira said.

"Already? Who?" Su asked.

"Someone I really trust." Kuvira replied.

"On the warthog! We got a traitor to catch." Spartan Donar told his teammates, they hopped on the scout warthog and followed the trail of Aiwei's jeep.


	12. End of the Line

**Zaofu**

Korra's blindfold was taken off outside the gates of Zaofu, she quickly turned to catch her kidnappers but to her surprise there was no one there. "Dammit." Korra said, she had been basically been assaulted and experimented on but there was nothing she could do now. She looked at the gates to the city and sighed.

Mako and the others were inside one of the city's infirmaries having been taken there by Fireteam Horus before leaving. "We need to find Korra, those creeps took her!" Mako said.

"Relax bro, we don't even know where they could've taken here." Bolin replied, "We have to tell Su and the others about what happened."

"I think that the Spartans might've already told her about it." Asami added, "Still, I agree with Mako. We have to look for Korra and the UNSC is the only people that can help us."

The gang exited the infirmary, a lot of the people that had been affected were also being allowed to continue with their day. Luckily the gas did not leave any harmful residues. As they went their way towards Su's place, "Guys!" It was Korra calling to them.

"Korra?!" Mako was astonished, he quickly ran to intercept her and hugged his friend. Bolin and Asami then joined in a group hug. "What happened? Where were you?"

"I was taken by ONI…" She looked around as she answered, "They took me to some sort of science-y room where they took blood from me." She showed them the small dot in the middle of her right arm. "Then I was brought back here."

"I knew they were going to do something bad like this. Sergeant Stacker told me about the gooks at ONI. They are shadowy people who do things that would make your stomach sick." Mako said, "Didn't they say anything?"

"Only that they would be nearby." Korra answered, "But whatever, I'm fine now. We still have to question Aiwei!"

"There's no need for that." Lin appeared with a group of guards. "The Spartan team has been sent to detain Aiwei and any Red Lotus contact he went to meet."

"Oh, so Su already knows?" Asami asked.

"We do, but while the Spartans deal with the traitor, we have to get you to safety." Lin told Korra, "With the attack on the city it seems that we cannot guarantee a safe haven here."

"Then where are we going?" Korra asked.

* * *

**Installation 03**

The great figure sitting on the throne stood up, the great panels in front of it lit up. "_It is time. Offensive, prepare the ring for jump into slipspace._" It said.

The Meta, who was standing in the shadows close to the great figure appeared, from the Meta's helmet speakers the ancient Forerunner ancilla spoke. "Yes master." The Meta walked out of the great chamber flanked by several Promethean Soldiers.

859 Static Carillon floated right next to the god-like figure, "The new troops have arrived sire, battalions of armigers ready for combat. As well as contingents of Knights ready to lead them into battle." It informed.

"_Good._" The figure said, "_The endgame of the human race approaches and a new dawn for the Forerunner Ecumene will rise from its ashes to protect the galaxy once again._ _Move the Composers to the rings immediately, we move soon._"

"Y-Yes sir!" Carillon acknowledged floating away. The Ur-Didact, the imposing Promethean Warrior-Servant, once again had amassed a great force but this time more firepower had been prepared, no more hasty alliances with the inferior Covenant units. They too will be eradicated after the humans.

The Didact moved to a nearby communicator and established connection to his world, Requiem. The image of a Sangheili warrior appeared, it was Jul 'Mdama, the infamous Didact's Hand and the leader of the Storm Covenant faction. "My liege, we are ready to strike from within Requiem's core. A human rebel group, the Red Lotus, has joined us as well as you have predicted." 'Mdama stated.

"_Of course. Not only shall we destroy our enemies but we shall prove their fickle unity at the same time_." Ur-Didact replied in a confident and arrogant tone. "_Call your ships, Hand, open the way to the world. Only after that you have weaken them, I shall bring the great power of the Forerunners to finally end the human menace._"

"As you say my liege." Jul understood and signed out. The dominoes were falling into place, and the tactics were made. The chamber began to shift and change as the Halo began to enter slipspace. A great portal was created from the world that housed the Composer's Forge into space, a portal that dwarfed the one on Earth.

The Didact went towards the outside of his palace of solitude and was anxious to command what might be the greatest military victory in his life. The end of the line for the human race. Then he mused about the final confrontation, between him and the Protector of the Human Empire. His most hated yet respected nemesis…the reincarnated Lord of Admirals. The bane of his existence and the other human warrior, the Spartan.

"_Glory awaits us, my Prometheans._" He whispered as several Knight Commanders appeared beside him, acting as his generals for the upcoming battle. The sky shifted beyond the Halo ring, turning into the slipstream space tunnel that lead to Requiem.

* * *

**Misty Palms Oasis, Earth Kingdom**

Fireteam Horus parked their warthog outside the small town oasis of Misty Palms were the only piece of ice rested in the middle of the desert. Donar used his visor's zoom in function to locate Aiwei, he saw him enter one of the buildings. Looked like a motel.

"How are we going to enter without causing commotion?" Spartan Jonesy asked, "We are in full body armor and we are so tall that we won't fit in those tiny places."

"We wait until he leaves." Donar replied, "Take positions above the dunes to take a vantage point overlooking the oasis. Once he steps out of the town towards his jeep we take him to custody."

"Sounds reasonable enough, boss." Spartan Andrews stated.

"Waiting game." Spartan Wulf added using his sniper rifle's scope to see deep into the town. "The way I like it."

_Several Hours Passed…_

The sun was setting in the desert's horizon and the stars were visible in the sky. The Spartan-IVs were growing restless. Aiwei hadn't come out of his hiding spot in five hours, something was off. "I have a bad feeling about this." Andrews said.

"Yeah…" Jonesy said as she stood up, "We should just break in take him there."

"Boss, we are losing time." Wulf added.

Donar sighed, "If he attacks aim to decapitate not kill." The Spartans stood up from the sand and went towards the oasis.

And reasonable, their sudden appearance grabbed the attention of the entire townsfolk. They entered the motel and asked the innkeeper for the keys to the room where Aiwei was. Flabbergasted, the innkeeper gave Donar the keys. The Fireteam proceeded to walk towards the door, Donar placed the key inside the doorknob and slowly turned it.

The door unlocked.

Wulf and Andrews quickly aimed inside the room with a battle rifle and assault rifle respectively. They found Aiwei sitting on top of his bed lotus style, motionless with several candles lighting the small room. "He's here…but he isn't doing anything." Andrews said.

Donar turned on his radio, "Su, we have something." Donar reported back to Zaofu.

"What do you have?" Su responded from the other side.

"We found him. But he is…meditating." Donar answered, "I don't know what this means."

* * *

**Zaofu**

Korra and the others were in Su's office when she received the call, along with Kuvira and Lin. "Meditating?" Su asked again.

"Affirmative, ma'am." Donar replied.

"Don't you think….?" Asami asked Korra.

"He's in the Spirit World." Korra realized, she had done it before. "That means that he is talking to Zaheer in the Spirit World!"

"Time for some Avatar work!" Bolin stated, Korra nodded in agreement. She sat on the nearby couch lotus style and closed her eyes. Everyone in the room remained silent as Korra tapped into her spiritual self so she could enter the Spirit World seamlessly.

* * *

**The Spirit World**

When she entered the Spirit World, she didn't appear in the forests of it like before but…in a darker place. Like a clearing with little trees in it and the Spirit World's version of the sun setting beyond the horizon.

"It is nice to finally meet you in a more…personal way." Korra turned around to find Zaheer sitting in front of a tree. "I was expecting you to come here, Aiwei was never a good spy even with his seismic abilities."

"Zaheer!" Korra stepped forward, "We can't use bending in the Spirit World, but that doesn't mean I can't punch your face in!"

"Manners Avatar, haven't you learned from your dealings with the more technological advanced UNSC?" Zaheer asked, Korra was still holding back from running towards him and clobbering him to death.

"Where's Aiwei?" Korra asked.

"Somewhere where he can't annoy anyone else." Zaheer answered.

"You were the one that pulled me here when I entered the Spirit World, weren't you?" Korra asked again.

"Full of questions. But yes, I did. I did not do it so we could fight, I am not a man of violence but of ideal. I wanted to share my views with you, Korra." Zaheer said, "Unlike Amon or your uncle, I don't want to rid the world of benders or rule over it, but I want to set it free."

"Explain."

"You see, the Red Lotus used to be part of the Order of the White Lotus, but one of its members, Xai Bau, seceded from the order to form a new one. What Xai thought was that the Order of the White Lotus had lost its meaning by coming out of hiding and serving Avatar Aang and by extension, you. The White Lotus was an international organization that acted from the shadows to deliver freedom to all peoples. No matter how lowly they were." Zaheer explained, "He formed the Red Lotus to follow the original teachings that the White Lotus stood for."

"This still doesn't explain anything." Korra said.

"Freedom is something innate in all human and spiritual beings. What Avatar Forthencho did long ago was inexcusable. A mistake that you fixed when you opened the portals, Korra. A step in the right direction of having both humans and spirits live together in harmony, but it's not far enough." Zaheer said, "But imagine a world where no man or woman was crushed beneath the boot of their governmental bodies."

"You want to topple world governments…" Korra said, "That's insane!"

"Is it? To have each person live their own lives without the follow rules and dogmas set by a group of people that held imaginary power over them? We established a plan that would have brought world peace, when your uncle approached us eighteen years ago." Zaheer replied.

"Unalaq?"

"Yes. He gave us the plan and money to rebuild the Red Lotus. We were supposed to free Vaatu from his prison in the Tree of Time and use his power to assassinate all of the world leaders. But the first step was in empowering him, and that meant ending the Avatar Cycle. When the White Lotus captured us when we tried infiltrating the compound that held you in the Southern Water Tribe, Unalaq denied all allegations that connected him to the Red Lotus. As you may know now, he was a snake." Zaheer said, "Korra, I just wanted to talk to you, to tell you what were and why we did it. I…we, the Red Lotus, we harbor no negative feelings towards you Korra. You are a wonderful person that has saved countless lives as the Avatar, but it's the idea of an all-powerful being that overseers normal people's lives that we can't allow to continue any longer."

"Why are you telling me this? You have no way in winning with your master plan being ruined." Korra responded.

"We might've lost Vaatu, but we found another way to reach our goal. And it came from the stars. We shall see each other again, Korra. Soon." And with that Zaheer disappeared, Korra was shaken awake by Asami.

* * *

**Zaofu**

"What…what?!" Korra opened her eyes, "Zaheer he…"

"No time for that! Come outside!" Asami grabbed Korra's hand and pulled her outside Su's office and into the outside garden where the others stood. They were all looking up at the sky, the afternoon sky was full of what seemed to be explosions. All over. Something was happening above, in the atmosphere.

Then several drop pods fell towards the city, crashing into the streets. "Kuvira, close the domes!" Su ordered her Captain of the Guard.

"On it!" Kuvira then sprinted towards the tower that controlled the domes.

Korra didn't know what to do, there was something happening that he had no idea of. Something far worse than Zaheer and his plans.

* * *

**Ba Sing Se, Earth Kingdom**

Zaheer walked into the imperial palace, he couldn't get to Korra directly yet. He and his colleagues only got so closed was because she was sleeping, this surprise attack wouldn't work again. He had already dealt with Aiwei and was ready to follow through with his plans now that the alien had begun theirs.

When the Red Lotus leaders entered the royal chamber where the Queen was supposed to be at, they were met by several dead Dai Li agents scattered throughout the floor. The Queen's body was on the steps of towards the throne, she was covered in bullet holes and blood. "Seems that we got here late." Ming Hua said.

"I like what you've done with the place." Ghazan said to the one who sat on top of the throne.

"They threw rocks at me…I almost feel bad about shooting unarmed men to death. Almost." It was Ilsa Zane, the former Spartan-IV that had escaped captivity along with Zaheer. "Took you a long time to give me the sign to act."

"Sorry for the wait." Zaheer replied. "We were delayed."

"This is our ally?" P'Li asked.

"We met in prison, you could say. She is an ex-supersoldier and has the additional firepower that we need to reach our goals." Zaheer answered, "And be able to drive off the aliens if they turn against us."

"The Queen's dead, give the call to the citizens of this city. They're free." Ilsa said as her men, the Insurgents, opened the gates towards the radio tower for Zaheer. He smiled as he walked towards the freedom of the biggest city of the world.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

The Infinity single handily, along with several other Pillar of Autumn II-class cruisers held off the Storm Covenant onslaught that had appeared out of slipspace without warning. None of the sensors had picked them up, there was no dilation in slipstream space. "I don't know how they went under our detectors!" Roland, the Infinity's AI, said as he tried to control both the vessel's defenses and find some sort of reason why the Covenant took the entire Requiem fleet by complete surprise.

"I am more worried about the endless Covenant fleet coming right at us!" Lasky said, "I want all ships to rally around us and the MAC platform!"

"Hold on! I'm detecting something now…" Roland said.

"What?!"

"Something big…huge…!" Roland replied, "Holy…"

"Is that…" Lasky was left breathless. "The Covenant…it was just a distraction."

The Halo ring appeared over Requiem and the fleets signaling that the UNSC was completely outmatched. Hundreds of smaller ships, Promethean vessels, began to spew out of the ring itself and went towards the UNSC fleet and the Infinity. "Call FLEETCOM! WE NEED ASSISTANCE!"


	13. If I Had A Super Weapon

**Camp Preston Cole, Republic City**

Commander Keith and Lieutenant Zami stood within the training yard of the camp along with several marines out of uniform witnessing the terror in the sky. The massive Halo could easily be seen through the night sky as the bolts of plasma and artillery shells exploded in front of it.

"What is that?!" Zami asked her CO.

"Death…that's death incarnate." Keith replied, "Everyone armor up, and link in, we're about to have company."

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

"I want teams to be ready to board the Ring, we have to stop whoever is inside from activating Halo's final weapon." Lasky said as Commander Palmer and several other on-board officers followed him to the Infinity's CIC. "I want Majestic, Crimson, Lancer, Apex, and Fenrir ready for deployment immediately, their mission is here, here and here. With several detachments of Marines and ODSTs."

"The Halo's Library, Cartographer, and pulse canyons, strategic spots." Palmer said, "What about the Control Room?"

"Blue Team will capture the ring's Control Room in hopes of detaining whoever is in the ring." Lasky replied, "Roland, get in touch with the Master Chief."

"Sir, what about Avatar Korra and Fireteam Horus?" A naval officer asked.

"Recall all Spartan teams back to the nearest ship in orbit, brief them on the mission at hand and to join the fight on the Halo. We'll take care of the Covenant." Lasky stated as he bent over the holographic panel that detailed the Halo's surface. "Tell the science teams that re-boarded Moonbase Alpha to activate the Sphinx."

* * *

**Zaofu**

The smoke cleared from the crashed drop pods, they had landed over several houses in the lower districts of the city, within the center dome. The shields that covered city began to close with exception of the hangar bays where dropships were still stationed. The people in the streets stood in fright as the drop pods began to open, and out them jumped out Elite Warriors with energy swords readied.

The aliens roared when they saw the humans standing in front of them, but little did they know…Kuvira and her guards appeared in time to face them. "Covenant!" Kuvira said, "Guards at the ready!"

The Elites, cladded in purple armor, ran toward them. The citizens ran away but the guards stood their ground, "Now!" Kuvira ordered, the guards bended the ground beneath the Elites, flipping the entire earth and the Elites upside-down and then violently pushing them down. This did little more than annoy the Elites and their energy shields. But it bought Kuvira enough time to feel the metals that the Elites wore.

Kuvira closed her eyes and breathed in and then breathed out, with her extended arms she motioned her hands into a quick fist. When she did the helmets of the Elites compacted inwards crushing the Sangheili's skulls, exploding like coconuts. Dark purple blood and bits of brain tinted the brown earth. Kuvira opened her eyes and saw her work. "There are still more Covenant units through the city, go intercept them." Kuvira ordered her guards.

"At once, Captain Kuvira!" A guard acknowledged and ran with the other one to meet the other guards on the other side of the city. Kuvira approached one of the alien corpses, she smirked.

"So these are the great destroyers of worlds? I'm underwhelmed." She said kicking the Elite's corpse. Kuvira then noticed the energy sword hilt on the ground, she picked it up and placed her fingers around it. "Interesting…"

The energy sword came to life surprising the Captain of the Guard, "Most impressive!" She liked the shape of the sword, it was long and shiny, but weightless unlike steel swords. Releasing her grip on it, the sword was inert again. She placed the hilt in one her belt pouches and walked away back to Town Hall.

In the Town Hall, Korra and the others were still speechless at the sight of the Halo orbiting high above in the sky, but then the sky was blocked by the closing dome. "What…what is that?!" Su asked in fear.

"It's…Halo." Korra replied. "I want to speak with Fireteam Horus right now." Korra turned towards Su's office and immediately turned the radio on.

"Korra you're not thinking of…" Mako said.

"I have to get on that Halo, if it's who I'm thinking of commanding the ring here…then we are all in trouble." Korra replied, "Spartans! Can you hear me?!"

"Avatar Korra! We hear you. It…in the sky!" Donar responded.

"I know. I need you and your team back here." Korra got a feeling of dread the moment that the Halo entered the system. Ever since she got access to the knowledge of the Tree of Time she learn of the Halo Array but also…she made a strange connection to all things Forerunner and there was something incredibly twisted aboard the ring. And Korra knew what it was.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

The Infinity rammed through the small Covenant cruisers, making its way towards the Halo ring to prepare for OPERATION: Guillotine. The majority of SPARTAN teams were ready, and the Marine auxiliary teams got in their pelicans for drop in. The SPARTANs were waiting within the ODST drop pods.

"Roland, what do we have?" Lasky asked his ship's AI as he sat on his captain's chair.

"The fleet is keeping the Covenant away…oddly enough they are not going for Requiem. It seems that the Halo is the main vanguard of the invasion." Roland theorized, "Either way, stopping the Halo from firing would mean a decisive victory."

"You heard that Chief?" Lasky asked through his comm unit in his chair.

"Affirmative sir." Chief replied.

"Chief, from your report…we both know what he can do." Lasky added, "Once the other fireteams secure their positions…we are going in full force against him."

"We'll do what we have to do, sir." Chief said, "The Didact must be stopped."

Their conversation was interrupted by Commander Palmer, "Sir, we have reports from several Spartan fireteams planetside." She said.

"What about them?"

"Fireteam Horus aboard an incoming pelican…they have Avatar Korra aboard." Palmer answered.

"What?!"

* * *

**Zaofu**

**1 Hour Earlier **

Spartan Donar entered Su's office, where Korra and the others were waiting. They were panicking, they had just gotten the news about Ba Sing Se falling into total anarchy. Mako and Bolin wanted to go there to rescue their grandmother and the rest of their family from the chaos.

"Ma'am." Donar reported to Suyin.

"Spartan…everything is just falling apart. Korra wants to speak with you." Su said.

"Hold on a bit. Mako…Bolin…I don't think you should come with me on this." Korra said.

"What?" Mako asked.

"Your family needs you in Ba Sing Se. I need to stop the Halo." Korra replied. "I don't want to put any of you in harm's way again like when I fought Vaatu."

"Korra…" Bolin said in disbelief.

Korra turned to Asami and hugged her friend, "I'll bring a Promethean gun for you when I get back." Korra told her. Asami smiled and nodded. The Avatar turned to the Spartans… "Take me to Moonbase Alpha, I need to pick something up."

Korra left the room and her friends while the SPARTAN team followed her towards the city's airship bay. "Avatar, it would be a tough task to get to the moon with Covenant interceptors in our way." Donar said.

"Not even counting the plasma artillery from nearby corvettes." Wulf added.

"I'm aware of the dangers, but the only way I can get inside the Halo is in the moonbase." Korra replied, "The Infinity alone won't be able to last against the ring's security systems once they kick in."

"How do you know this?" Spartan Jonesy asked.

"Long story. You're gonna help me save the world or not?" Korra asked them.

The Spartans looked at each other, "Once this is over, Lasky is going to want my head on a spike." Donar said in compliance.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

**Present Time**

"Korra, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Lasky asked the Avatar through the communication channels.

"I'm doing my duty, Captain." Korra replied, "After I get inside the weapon I want you to pull the Infinity and the UNSC Song of the East away from the frontline, as well as any fighters."

"You're not thinking…Roland disable all of the base's…"

"I can't sir, ever since the blackout that happened there the security systems were restarted by the local AI. I have no control over them." Roland replied. Lasky sighed…

"Okay Korra…listen, there are going to be several Spartan teams on the ring's surface. I know you're going to the meat of it…towards the control room. Blue Team is going to be there." Lasky told Korra, "Whatever is controlling the ring and the Covenant, kick its ass. Lasky out."

* * *

**Moonbase Alpha**

The pelican landed into the cargo bay of the base, several reinstated security personnel arrived to see who had entered the premises without permission. Among them were the Spartans from Fireteam Lancer who had stayed in the base to reinforce the Army Trooper garrison that had been sent to secure the base.

"Horus team…what are you doing here?" One of Lancer's Spartans asked. Korra walked past the Spartans and headed directly to the science wing of the complex.

Entering the once closed science wing, thanks to the scientists there who knew her and Asami, she beheld at the marvel of Forerunner engineering…the War Sphinx. It stood tall within the center of the science wing, with an immense blast door overlooking it. The UNSC Science Department had been studying non-stop ever since its activation and subsequent deactivation after the end of Harmonic Convergence.

"What's the situation?" Korra asked one of the lead scientists there, a man who had been working with Asami on the Sphinx and on the Aegis Mk. 1 that Korra was wearing. His name is Dr. Henry Utmeri.

"The entire base is on lockdown! It's a wonder that you were able to enter! Covenant banshees have been bombarding the exterior perimeter for hours nonstop! It's only a matter of time before they get through." Dr. Utmeri replied, "The garrison here is prepared but after the last attack…I don't know if we can hold it."

"What about the Sphinx? Is it operational?"

"It's been sealed since the start, we couldn't get it open. Its design baffles our best engineers and experts. But we were able to upgrade the Aegis design after more study of the Combat Skin."

"Show me." Korra and Dr. Utmeri walked towards a room where the Combat Skin was placed on top of a surgical table in pieces.

"The Aegis 1 was able to mimic the Combat Skin's most basic functions, like augmented speed, strength and perception to a low degree. Nothing like the MJOLNIR models. And it was made of platinum alloys, and your model specifically was made to work harmoniously with your bending powers." Dr. Utmeri described the Aegis, "But with more careful study we have recently discovered a way to fully copy the Combat Skin greatly with pieces of UNSC and older Forerunner tech we had salvaged from the Halo installations."

"Ironic." Korra stated.

"I present to you the Aegis Mk. II." Dr. Utmeri showed Korra a suit of armor that had been hidden behind a medical white sheet of cloth. "Like the engines behind the Infinity, this is the mixture of both Human ingenuity and Forerunner power. Made out of upgraded platinum alloy, we kept it so it would be unbendable and a lot tougher. One of the biggest changes is the addition of energy shields. We had to install older MJOLNIR Mk. V energy shield components to be powered by the miniature fusion reactor in the back of the suit. Don't worry, the suit won't crush you, it will just make you a bit stronger like the Mk. I." He showed Korra the suit's new backside. "The lines on it replace the old tubes of the Mk. I, these represent the power conduction going throughout the suit and I am told you like blue."

"Yeah. So, did Asami worked on this?" Korra asked.

"Worked? She designed the whole thing! After completing the Mk. I two months ago, she began to modify and improve several of the aspects of the armor almost immediately. That girl is one of a kind I tell you." The doctor said.

"She is. Is the armor ready for use?"

"Indeed it is, actually, look at this slot in the back of the helmet." The doctor gave the helmet, which was perfectly made for her head and had a blue visor, "The slot is made specifically for AI implementation. Since you don't have a neural implant, the AI is there to aid you in logistical information and assistance while in missions. We hope that it would connect with the Sphinx's hypothetical internal AI."

"All right then, time to put it on and give it a try before going into battle." Korra said.

* * *

**Installation 03 (Gamma Halo)**

The UNSC Infinity passed over the Halo ring as soon as the Covenant ships were rammed through and the escort vessels were able to contain the incoming cruisers. When the massive UNSC flagship passed over the ring, it launched several drop pods into the surface of the Halo, all pin pointed towards several regions of the spinning ring.

The Master Chief, who was aboard of one of the HEV pods, was looking through the drop pod's frontal windows. He looked at the other HEVs around him, Blue Team, as they entered the ring's atmosphere. As soon as they did, several Promethean artillery began to smack the sky as they fell.

The pods crashed into a remote hillside in what seemed to be a forested area, just outside a canyon. The Chief kicked his pod's hatch open and jumped out with his Assault Rifle and his trusty Magnum. The pods had fallen all over the area close by the Control Room of the Halo, "Blue Team, can you hear me?" Chief connected to his team's comms.

"I'm here Chief." Kelly responded, "I don't seem to be able to connect to Fred or Linda."

"I saw them fall with us, they must be close by." Chief said as he walked towards a small hillside looking at the further away canyon. There was a small beam of light going into sky beyond said canyon, which must be the control room. "Do you see a canyon?"

"I do. But it's mostly a crevice opening towards it from my position." Kelly said, "Want to link up in the middle of it?"

"Yes, Fred and Linda might have the same idea." Chief answered, he began to make his way towards the canyon.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the chamber of the Didact, the ancient demi-god Forerunner sat on his throne within the shadows. The doors opened, it was Jul 'Mdama, the Didact's Hand entered. "Sir, our human agent has conquered areas of his world. Shall we contact him to aid us with his Red Lotus?" Mdama asked.

"_The chess pieces move, Hand, and the endgame approaches. Zaheer will be my pawn and his aid will be required in due time. Several hostile humans have already made landfall on this ring, Hand, reroute ground units to meet them. I will be sending Promethean units to aid you in this." _Didact replied.

"But sir, can we trust Zaheer?"

"_He is a fool. A useful fool. His Red Lotus will be our future infiltrators once we take over the rest of the human worlds. But for Requiem and Earth…we will adding new troops to our Promethean army." _

The Didact stood up, "_I shall be at the control room. Keep your attack on Requiem._" The Didact then teleported away using the Halo's teleportation grid.


	14. The Reclamation

**Moonsbase Alpha**

The older Aegis Mk. I armor laid on the floor, its pieces scattered across it. Korra was standing inside one of the MJOLNIR power armor stations that assembled the armor on the wearer. The machine had placed the new Aegis Mk. II over her undersuit, Korra was amazed with the armor. She could feel the new power that it gave her. "How does it feel?" Dr. Utmeri asked.

"Like I can fight the entire world." Korra replied turning her hand into a fist. "You said that the armor would connect to the Sphinx automatically right?"

"Yes, that is what we hope…hold on wait!" Utmeri said as Korra ran towards the inert Forerunner War Sphinx. Fireteam Horus appeared behind the doctor, they were also worried about what Korra was about to do.

"Korra, there are several Spartan teams already on the ring. If you go into the ring with that thing you would be alerting the targets to their presence and compromise the mission." Spartan Donar said, "If you go there….there is no going back."

Korra hopped into the cockpit of the Forerunner war machine, "Maybe, but the Spartans are not going to beat the Didact. I am." The Sphinx came online and the cockpit that was actually the War Sphinx's head closed. Korra's armor connected to the vehicle's inner AI.

"Reclaimer, you have returned!" The AI chirped in excitement. "I was able to re-upload myself into this unit after your battle was over."

"Um…AI…buddy, I need control of the War Sphinx." Korra ordered.

"What is our target?"

"Halo."

* * *

**Installation 03 (Gamma Halo)**

The Master Chief and Blue Team approached the ring's control room, it was beyond the canyon they were at. Several hawks flew on ahead to survey the area, but were quickly shot down by Promethean AA guns. "So much for air support." Fred stated as the team entered a cavern. "At least it's not raining."

"Turn on night-vision, watch your corners." Master Chief said to the Spartans, their visors shined allowing them to see in the dark without their flashlights revealing their positions. Out in the darkness several Promethean ground autoturrets appeared. The turrets fired at the Spartans with hardlight exploding rounds. Dodging behind rocky columns, the light rounds began to vaporize the rock, the Spartans had little time to move forward.

"Kelly, grenades!" Chief ordered the speed specialist. Kelly ran closer towards the turrets, her running speed allowing the Spartan to easily dodge through the hail of light bullets. She threw several frag grenades at the turrets, making them blow up.

"Targets neutralized." Kelly said. The others came out of cover. "He knows we're here."

"He has complete control of the Halo's systems, he knew we were here ever since the Infinity flew above the ring." Chief replied, "Let's keep going, the control room isn't far."

Exiting the cavern, Blue Team came across the control room. The massive structure extended pass the canyon walls and its tower massive tower was gathering power from the pulse generators that powered Halo's final weapon…the harmonic frequency that would eradicate all life in a 25,000 light years three-dimensional radius. Requiem would be scorched at that close proximity to the ring.

"Spartan Fireteam Majestic…we're bogged down close to one of the pulse reactors. Several Promethean and Covenant units. We lost our Marine auxiliary team. We need aid, I repeat, we need assistance." Fireteam leader DeMarco shouted through the comms.

"They're close by, Chief." Linda said, "We could help them."

The image of the control room reflected off the Chief's gold visor, he looked at his team. "Fred, Linda, go assist Majestic. Kelly, you're with me."

"John, are you sure about this?" Frederic asked his childhood friend.

"Yes. We'll be fine." Chief placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Now go, they need you."

Fred and Linda nodded and left returning to the cavern they had arrived from.

"Our chances are slim." Kelly said reloading her shotgun.

"Spartans never die, Kelly." Chief replied as he advanced towards the control room. Slowly but surely the Spartan duo moved into the ramps that led upwards the immense tower. No Promethean in sight, a disturbing feeling raced through the Chief's mind.

"_Do you feel it, human? What a perfect place to meet your honorable demise…Halo._" The voice of the Didact echoed through the canyon.

The Chief nor Kelly responded, they kept going to the top of the structure. Once arriving there they were met with a closed gate. The gate led inwards into the control room proper. "You think that a well-placed pulse grenade will do the trick?" Kelly asked.

"Most likely." Chief replied. They took a step back, and took out one pulse grenade. But before he primed it, Chief saw a red flicked in his motion tracker. "Get down!" Chief pushed Kelly away as a massive piece of metal was flung towards them. It struck the metal gate with a loud thud, denting it. The Spartans stood back up.

The Ur-Didact was standing before them, "_This will be your proving arena. We are warriors, you and I. Defenders of our clans, our families. The difference between our stances is that your species lives while mine is extinct._" The Didact said as he stood in front the Chief and Kelly, who had their weapons readied. The Chief knew that they were no match for the Didact alone, so he decided to play along with his ego.

"The Forerunners gave their lives for us. They knew the consequences." Chief responded.

"_An error. The Librarian and the rest placed their hopes in a race that only lusted for war and chaos. Do not think me ignorant of humanity's history ever since the Halos fired eons ago while I slept. After I was first defeated above Earth, I took my time to learn about my enemy. To prepare myself for this inevitable confrontation._" Didact said. "_Humanity has done nothing to strive for the Mantle, throughout their history they have only killed each other for petty territorial reasons. Hanging so close in killing their home world. And once you reached for the stars once again what did you do? You corrupted each world you took. Fighting within yourselves for idiotic ideologies. If it wasn't the will of God it was the will of the politician, the will of the few powerful._"

"We aren't perfect, but we are trying to achieve peace." Kelly responded.

"_Peace? A foolish undertaking for such a bloodthirsty species. We knew what you were capable ever since your race invaded our borders. Killing and pillaging our worlds. Taking our parents, our children and our homes. I lost my two sons because of you. And beyond that, I lost my entire reason of existence. All I am now is retribution, the literal personification of a once glorious empire that screams for vengeance. And as that embodiment I shall make the Forerunners' last breath extinguish the human cancer from the galaxy once and for all. Prepare, warrior!_"

Didact lifted his hand and threw Kelly out of the way, falling off the tower and into the chasm below. "Kelly!" Chief exclaimed. Not being allowed to focus on his teammate, the Spartan fired at the Promethean war lord with his assault rifle. The full metal jacket bullets bouncing off the demigod's combat skin.

The Didact walked towards the Chief, his footsteps rocking the entire structure, the Chief avoided the Forerunner's arm swings. Strangely enough, the Didact had decided to engage the Chief with his bare hands instead of using his powers over the forces of nature.

Knowing that he lacked the equipment to face the Didact, the Chief looked for the means to engage the power of the Didact. He saw several Promethean weapons nearby, he ran towards them and grabbed the Scattershot. Releasing a blast of kinetic bolts at the Didact the Chief ran circles around the Promethean. The shots merely bounced off the Didact but the Spartan was too fast for the hulkling Forerunner.

Annoyed, the Didact simply stomped the ground, staggering the Master Chief. Falling on the metal floor, the Didact placed his massive foot over the Chief's torso. He couldn't move, this was it. "_I will grant you the gift of dying a warrior." _But the Chief aimed his weapon at the Didact's head. He fired. The blast would've normally vaporized his head off…but not a warrior-servant. The smoke clear from the Didact's helmet. "_We are done here._"

He grabbed the Chief by the head and began to squish him, breaking his visor by sheer pressure. "_No more._" The Didact threw the Chief towards the control room's gate, the Chief went right through, making a Spartan sized hole in it. The gate opened, severely damaged. The Spartan was weak, his shields were drained…there was nothing he could do…but one thing. He unsheathed his titanium-A combat knife.

The Didact approached the kneeling Master Chief, and before he ended the Chief's live…the Spartan jumped at the Didact and stabbed the Didact in his right eyes. But the Didact just ignored it, grabbing the Chief once again and throwing him into the ground, denting the metal floor.

Suddenly, the alarm systems came alive. Curious, the Didact materialized a hard light panel in front of him. He looked through the security messages… "_An incoming War Sphinx? This cannot be!_" The Didact ran out of the control room and looked into the sky.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

The Infinity's cannons fired at the Covenant capital ships that besieged the immense human vessel. The ship's escorts, the Autumn-class cruisers aided by taking down the Covenant CCS-Class battlecruisers but the UNSC was outnumbered. There were only a handful of MAC stations, not enough to engage the Covenant vessels entering the planet they guarded.

"I need a sit-rep on the operation on the ring!" Lasky asked his CIC strategy team headed by Commander Palmer.

"Majestic is pinned but are being assisted by two members of Blue Team, Thomas." Palmer said, "The Master Chief and Spartan-087 are still in the control room…but Spartan-087's vitals are weak."

"What about the other teams?"

"As good as it gets. It only takes one thing to activate the ring, it all depends on Chief's mission success." Palmer said.

Lasky sighed, "I want…" But before he could give an order, the Infinity shook. "What was that?!"

"Roland!" Palmer called onto the Infinity's AI.

"An unknown vessel! Covenant in design! Oh no…" Roland said.

"What?!"

"Insurrection!"

* * *

Ilsa Zane and her band of armored rebels attacked the ill-prepared Marine garrison in the Infinity. They planned to take over the vessel and ensure a Covenant victory. "I want no survivors!" Zane yelled.

* * *

Palmer put on her helmet, "Where are they?" She asked Roland.

"In engineering…they are most likely after the Infinity's engines. You must stop them!" Roland stated.

"On my way!" Palmer and a handful of Spartan-IVs raced towards the lower section of the ship.

* * *

**Installation 03**

The War Sphinx slammed through several Covenant corvettes and support ships, ripping them to pieces. The Forerunner war machine entered the Halo's atmosphere, like a falling comet, the War Sphinx made the Covenant in the ground gaze in amazement…and fear.

Korra, the pilot of this gigantic vessel, aimed towards the biggest structure she could see. The control room. Also thanks to some of the on-board AI's guidance.

Landing over the canyon wall overlooking at the firing structure, several Promethean Phaetons materialized in the air. They fired at the War Sphinx, doing little damage on the process. The war machine moved its head and fired its hardlight beam at each Phaeton, taking them down from the air.

"I know you're there!" Korra's voice boomed from the War Sphinx. "Show yourself!"

The Didact was in awe, how could a human control a majestic War Sphinx…? This was unbelievable, unprecedented, and commendable.

"_I would have never imagine a human piloting a Forerunner weapon of war such as the War Sphinx. But if one ever did, it would have been you…Lord of Admirals._" Korra heard the Didact's voice from the Sphinx's comms.

"I may not have beaten you last time, but spirits as my witness, I will stomp you into the ground." Korra responded, "Step away from the control room."

The Didact laughed, he floated into the air to meet the War Sphinx's 'head' and see it eye to eye. "_Intimidating, the use of a weapon that is capable of scorching continents. But do you really understand who you are facing?_" Didact asked. With a simple hand movement, the War Sphinx began to malfunction.

"What?!" Korra noticed her controls were moving by themselves. "AI! What's happening?!"

"The…Didact. He is a Promethean…he has overridden your and my control over this vessel." The AI replied.

"Oh no…" Korra didn't know what to do. The cockpit opened by itself, getting out was the only thing she could do. She hopped over the Sphinx's head.

"_You wear a human made replica of a warrior-servant's combat skin. No greater insult can be achieved._" The Didact was stand behind Korra. She turned to look at the towering Forerunner.

"You know…I was planning in turning you into paste with the big robot, but it looks like I will have to do this hand to hand." Korra said taking a fighting stance.

"_It seems that way._" Didact then looked at the control room's entrance, there he saw the Master Chief's companion, Kelly, pull herself from the rim of the arena and run towards the injured Chief. He then motion one of his fingers in a commanding way.

"What are you doing?" Korra asked.

"_Cutting some loose ends._"

Kelly helped the Master Chief back up, "Come on, John. We're almost there." She said as she supported the Chief. But then she turned her glance at the hall forward…there stood a menace as troublesome as the Didact.

The Meta.

"_I don't think we have been introduced, humans. Humans meet death, death meet humans._" Offensive Bias said through the Meta's helmet speakers.

"I won't let you place the index into the control panel." Korra said. "I know enough about Forerunner technology and how it works, whatever you plan in doing in our fight won't work."

"_The Tree of Time. I can sense the mark of the Lifeshaper and the energies of the dimension of spirits rushing in you, stronger than before. You're not weighted down by the spirits of your ancestors. No…you're not the Lord of Admirals anymore. You're my true foe…Avatar Korra._" The Didact said.

Without warning, the Didact turned his right hand into what appeared to be a heavier version of the lightrifle. He fired at Korra who avoided the blast, she bended pieces of the War Sphinx and ripped them off. She then hurled them at the Didact who staggered from the unexpected piece of flying debris.

"_Impressive._" Didact said. Korra noticed the knife protruding from the Didact's right eye, she bended the titanium knife off from him.

"I didn't know this thing could hurt you." Korra was surprised. She then bended it and threw it towards the Didact's other eye. But this time, he was prepared. He caught the blade in mid-air and crushed it.

The Didact pushed Korra off the War Sphinx, screaming as she fell into the abyss below she used her airbending to glide into the grassy ground, she landed not so gallantly onto it. Cleaning the dust from her suit, Korra saw the Didact float in front of her. "I think this fight is a bit one sided…" Korra said.

"_Agreed._" Didact extended his arms and with his control over constraint fields he pinned Korra into the metal wall of the control room's structure.

"Agh!" Korra grunted in pain.

"_I was informed that ending your life would be futile. The cycle would just continue. An unrelenting enemy, unless forced to show its true colors._" Didact said, _"Tell me, Avatar, do you wish to face against him instead?_"

"What?"

The Didact then contacted the ships above, "_Hand. Do you have our agent aboard?_"

"Yes, holy one." Jul Mdama replied.

"_Bring him to me, along with his colleagues._" The Didact ordered. "_Unlike the Spartan, your will not die as the warrior that you are…unfortunately. A pity._"

A phantom entered the ring's atmosphere…Korra watched hopelessly as the dropship approached. Could this be…


	15. Angels and Demons

Korra's eye opened… "Where…where am I?" She asked in a weak voice. Korra's armored had been torn out and left with her undersuit on with her arms and legs exposed. She was being held from a Forerunner contraption.

"_This is was used to study the Parasite's combat forms._" Didact said as he floated down from the dark ceiling, the orange lines on his armor glowing. "_Your attack failed. Your armies falter and my Prometheans approach Requiem. But it will be for nothing until your existence is ended._"

Korra tried to pull herself out of the contraption but to no avail. "Where…what did you do to the Chief?!" Korra yelled.

"_My attack dog is taking care of him as we speak. Nevertheless, you shouldn't worry about him._" Didact stepped back allowing a group of individuals to walk forward.

"Zaheer!" Korra yelled.

"Will the restraints hold?" Zaheer asked the Forerunner demigod standing the shadows, the Red Lotus leader tried to no show any fear as he looked at the glowing orange eyes in the darkness.

"_Yes, human. Do you have the liquid?_" Didact asked.

"We do." P'Li replied, she was carrying a backpack which contained a jar. Zaheer took the jar and showed it to the Didact. The Didact laughed as he motioned his hand towards it, the glass shook and broke into pieces. The strange metallic liquid floated in the air…

Korra was still trying to break off from her restraints, she couldn't bend them off…there was something holding her hands in place. "When I get out of here you will all die!" Korra threatened them as her demeanor changed and despair took over.

"Like my accomplice said, you will not be getting out. Your hands are being held together by hard light restraints below the metal projectors that surround your arms, the finest in Forerunner technology." Zaheer said, "Once we administer this poison, your body will naturally react forcing you into the Avatar State in an effort in keeping you alive. Sadly for you, you will be entering it for the last time."

"No! The Avatar Cycle…" Korra was starting to lose it.

859 Static Carillon was hovering behind a wall near the large chamber the others were in, it listened to the conversation. "The reclaimer…Avatar Cycle…where have I…oh no." It whispered to itself.

"Yes. Once we dispatch you in the Avatar State the cycle will end. So we lucky few, this band of brothers and sisters in anarchy are witnessing an era of true freedom. Together we shall forge a world without kings and queens, without borders and nations, where man's only allegiance is to himself and those he loves. We will return to the true balance of natural order. And though you will never again be reborn your name will echo throughout history…Korra the Last Avatar!" Zaheer said confidently.

Korra watched in terror as her time was up.

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

The Infinity drifted in space, alongside several UNSC and Covenant vessels. Lasky slowly regained consciousness, something had taken out both fleets in a matter of seconds. "Auuugh…report!" Lasky said to his officers.

"Ship's still online, but the motors were hid after the Halo sent a small pulse. The Covenant is immobile too. Commander Palmer is still down in engineering fighting the Insurrectionists!" One of the ship aids said.

"Do we have comms online?" Lasky asked.

"No sir, we're trying to get a line to the teams on the ring!"

"Do it and tell them to continue with their mission! We still have a ring to neutralize."

* * *

**Installation 03**

The Master Chief found himself inside a crevice, outside the control room, somewhere in the canyon. He stood up and found his assault rifle which had been left next to him. "Kelly do you hear?" Chief said through his radio. "Blue Team do you copy?!"

"_I am afraid they won't answer. Transmissions were cut by the Didact._" Offensive Bias said as it and the Meta jumped down in front of the Chief.

"Where is Kelly?!" Chief yelled.

"_Where we left her._" Bias said, "_You are the one who faced the Didact in single combat and ended his plans for Erde-Tyrene. I am curious if you could repeat that same feat with my new body._"

The Meta growled, its EVA helmet reflecting the Master Chief. Without hesitations the Chief unloaded his assault rifle at the Meta, its shields reflecting the bullets off. Seeing that this foe had superior shielding the Chief ran backwards in hopes of finding an exit. A wall, no way out but up. The Meta wanted to strangle the Chief with its bare hands, but the Master Chief proved to be a sly combatant.

The Master Chief hopped from each wall that was on his right and left, jumping from side to side until he reach the top in a matter of seconds. The Meta did just one large jump to catch with him. This was going to be harder than he thought…he needed to think fast, the only way to deplete energy shielding was with an emp. Plasma grenades and a plasma pistol would do the trick, but he was out of grenades and there were no grunts on sight.

The Meta had had enough and took out his Brute Shot, it fired several rounds of the weapon's grenades at the Spartan. The Chief, rolling out of the way of each explosion, noticed that the Brute Shot's blade was thick and sharp enough to put a dent on the shielding and armor of the Meta. The attack stopped as the former Freelancer began to reload. The Master Chief darted as fast as he could, a green blur, towards the Meta. He grabbed onto the piece of Brute tech and began to tug of war it away from the Meta. The AI powered super-soldier proved to be an even match with the Master Chief in raw strength, but what the Meta lacked in creativity the Chief had it in truck loads. The Chief twisted the Meta's right arm and forced the Brute Shot's blade to swing onto the former Freelancer's visor which was scratch deeply by the tough blade. The Chief then pulled the Brute Shot away from the Meta. The Meta roared in anger, it rushed towards the Spartan-II, body checking the Chief far into the rocky ground.

The Chief groaned as his shields flickered and recharged, that had been a strong push…the Chief knew that without the right tools the Meta would be unbeatable, so he had to use the Brute Shot well once the Meta restarted it's attack. The Chief stood back up, and readied the weapon.

* * *

Meanwhile in the control room…

The Ur-Didact then motioned the poisoned towards Korra's exposed skin, the metallic liquid stuck to Korra's skin, it felt cold. The Didact then forced the poison into Korra's pores, she began to grunt as the movement of the poison hurt her, like as if a thousand needles penetrated her epidermis and dermis at the same time.

The process was quick, as soon as the body felt the poison drift inside Korra's bloodstream the Avatar State began to come in but Korra fought it. The defense mechanism that was the Avatar State wanted, needed, Korra to be alive but she knew she couldn't let it activate or all would be lost.

"Get ready! As soon as she is in the Avatar State…take her out!" Zaheer ordered his fellow Red Lotus members.

"Wait…why isn't she staying in the Avatar State?" Ghazan asked.

"Give it time…she can't resist for long." Zaheer replied. The Didact watched as Korra pulled her body and the mechanism's restraints in agonizing pain. Static Carillon communicated with the Promethean warlord through the Didact's combat skin's communication receivers.

"Sir, I have checked the origin of the Knights…" It said.

"_And?_"

"They were composed…from Reclaimers! And the ones we brought back…they had been recent!"

"_Indeed they were. I know of our agreement, monitor, but this fight goes beyond the ethics of the Ecumene._" Didact responded.

"_And this Reclaimer…she is the one…_" Carillon began to put two and two together. Without responding back to the Didact, the monitor floated away into the control room proper.

Korra began to hallucinate, her mind breaking as she fought both the poison and the Avatar State from activating.

"_Foolish human…are you seeing things?_" Korra noticed the Didact floating towards her, but no one in the room aside from her saw him doing this. "_Soon your world will fall and your friends will be nothing more than Knights, ready to do my bidding._"

She moved her eyes of him, and saw that Ming Hua's head turned and was replaced by her uncle's head…Unalaq. "The age of the Avatar is at its end, Korra."

Zaheer, P'Li and Ghazan then turned into a deep shade of black and melted onto the ground, and fused together. Out of the black puddle several tentacles began to pull themselves out of the darkness. "_**TWILIGHT APPROACHES AND THE GRAVES ASK FOR FILLING. YOU ARE TOO WEAK TO RESIST, CHAOS RISES AS YOUR LIGHT DIES OUT. GIVE IN, KORRA.**_" Vaatu in his Gravemind form appeared

"GIVE IN. GIVE IN. GIVE IN. GIVE IN." Their voiced shouted together into Korra's ears, becoming louder and louder each second. Korra couldn't resist any longer…

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

Palmer was surrounded, the Insurrectionists had their way with the staff in engineering and the reinforcements she waited for were stopped by the Halo's energy pulse. She knew she could take out the rebels by herself, but Ilsa was going to be there…waiting for her to make a mistake. Palmer knew Zane, she knew the way she thought, the way she acted…the way she fought. Commander Palmer had to do this smart, or else there would be several SAW rounds engraved into her armor and flesh.

"Come on, Palmer, give it up. You're outnumbered, if you come out I will not kill you…yet." Ilsa said holding onto her stolen SAW. The insurrectionist leader checked every corner of the large room that held the Infinity's engines. Palmer knew the area well, meaning that she could be anywhere. There were stairs that led down into the controls of the engine and several exits upstairs that led towards the engine's cooling systems.

BAM! BAM! Battle Rifle rounds flew into two insurrectionists' heads killing them instantly. Ilsa quickly fired towards the direction of the shots. But the bullets hit nothing but metal. Zane grunted in anger, "Where the hell are you?!"

* * *

**Installation 03**

Korra couldn't hold it…she just couldn't hold the power of the Avatar State wanting to get out. And in one breath…the entire room was engulfed in a vast wind of power generated by the Avatar State's activation.

"Now destroy the Avatar!" Zaheer ordered…but before he did. Promethean Soldiers materialized next to them. "What?!" With their Suppressors they shot down the unknowing Red Lotus. They screamed as the hard light bullets ripped their bodies apart. "Didact!"

Zaheer's legs were then crushed by the Didact's constraint fields. "GAH!" He yelled in pain, the Forerunner approached him.

"_You really believed I would aid you in bringing a new age for humanity? Foolish man, anarchy is nothing but a childish dream that is idolized by those who envy the natural course of life…power._" Didact said, "_But what you did here…you unlocked my finest foe's true form…now I can have the fight that I have always waited for. Goodbye, Zaheer._"

The Didact then crushed Zaheer's head with his foot. "_Now that there are no distractions, let us have our final duel, Avatar! May the greatest warrior win!_"

With the Avatar State in complete control and in a state of complete and utter rage, Korra easily broke through the restraining device and dropped into the floor with a loud stomp. The face of wrath colored Korra's face as she bended the entire room's walls into her will and prepared to fight the Didact. Her white glowing eyes facing against his orange ones…


	16. Service and Sacrifice

**Installation 03**

Carillon flew across the canyon that surrounded the control room, trying to find the other reclaimers and save them from death. The monitor had been shown the Didact's true intentions, this wasn't the will of the Forerunners…just the selfish need for revenge of a ghost. The small monitor detected movement, "There!" It spotted the Master Chief, fighting against the Meta.

The Chief was able to split the former Freelancer from his Brute Shot, but now he had to put down the Meta for good. The Meta, who had Offensive Bias to run all of his armor's equipment, used his time stop to freeze the Master Chief in place. Unable to move or even acknowledge the Meta who was moving in relative light speed for him, the Chief was helpless. The Meta walked towards him…

He was ready to smash the Spartan's head with his superior physical strength, thanks to the armor enhancers, when the monitor broke through the Meta's time stop and shot at him with it's laser eye. The Chief recovered, feeling odd, he looked at his adversary and then at his rescuer.

The Meta's armor had been compromised, the monitor's laser beam easily broke through his overshields and went straight into the armor, messing with the electronics and disabling some of his armor enhancements. In the disadvantage, Offensive Bias recommended Agent Maine to retreat and find a way to repair the damage to his armor. But the Meta refused, standing back up, and facing the Master Chief.

"Offensive Bias, I know you are in there. Exit the reclaimer or I will be forced to destroy you." Static Carillon stated.

"_Monitor, you betray your masters?! Don't you know your place?" _Bias furiously replied, the Meta rushed towards the Master Chief who easily dodge every punch. The Spartan grabbed the Meta by the collar and smack into the rocky ground, creating a small crater on it.

The Master Chief aimed the Brute Shot at the Meta, and fired. The blast blew the Meta far away, into the abyss beyond the canyon. The abyss led to a large body of water…the roars of the Meta echoed before a splash was heard. Then there was silence.

The Chief was tired, he had a broken visor and most likely some broken ribs that the suit was keeping together via biofoam. "You helped me…why?" He asked the monitor who floated next to him.

"The Didact lied to me. He went back on his word and is doing heinous crimes against all life. He intends in killing your Protector, Reclaimer." Carillon said.

"Korra…" Chief knew what Carillon was talking about. "The Didact is too strong, how do we stop him?"

"Here." Carillon then manifested the Halo's activation index onto the Chief's hands.

"The index? Activating Halo is not an option." The Chief said.

"The Activation Index is not only a doomsday device, Reclaimer. It allows the user to have full control over the installation's system. That's what the control room is for." Carillon replied.

The Chief was deep in thought…he had a plan. But before doing anything, he had to contact his team. "Carillon, can I use you to boost my radio's signal?" Chief asked.

"Of course, Reclaimer."

"This is Spartan-117 to Blue Team…Blue Team do you hear me, over?"

"This is Blue-Two, we hear you just fine!" Fred replied, "Linda and I are still clearing up Covenant and Prometheans over at the pulse generators."

"This is…Blue-Three…I'm wounded but will be fine…Chief, come back to the control room. Something bad just happened." Kelly reported in. Chief was less worried now that he heard Kelly's voice but knew when something went south…and something just went south.

Returning to the control room, the ground shook as the Chief ran back towards the main entrance of the structure. There Kelly was sitting next to the wall, her arm broken when she tried to fight against the Meta when the Chief had been knocked out by the Didact. "Kelly…" Chief rushed to help his comrade.

"Korra…she's out of control." Kelly said, "Chief you have to stop them…"

The Chief was perplexed, last time he had heard of Korra she had complete control over the Avatar State. The structure shook once again… "Reclaimer, the Didact planned to fight the Protector at her finest. He has forced her into her ultimate state of being." Carillon explained, "If you want to finish off the Didact you will need find a way to make them both relent."

The Master Chief stood up, "Carillon, stay here with Kelly and keep her safe. I'll handle this." The Chief said as he activated the gates to open.

Cautiously, the Spartan stepped inside and quickly went into the activation chamber. No one was here, not even a single Sentinel. He reached the control console and placed the Activation Index into it, but instead of activating the ring, the Chief went through the command prompts of the Halo itself. Turning into English as the panel recognized him as a Reclaimer and scanned his memories in an instant.

After finishing up there, he took the index with him. He run down into the lower levels of the control room, there his motion tracker detected two individuals. Both of them were marked red…hostile. He didn't want to harm Korra at all, but she would not allow him to stop the Didact and he doubted that even with this unleashed wrath that Korra could stop the Promethean war lord.

Entering the arena below the control room, he saw that Korra was attacking the Didact with every piece of metal, super fire and winds she could throw at him while flying. The Ur-Didact was also gliding across the arena, avoiding each of the attacks. He transformed both of his hands into lightrifles shooting them at Korra but each shot was reflected back by Korra with a Forerunner wall panel or stopped with a piece of rock that was vaporized by the kinetic shot of the energy weapon. Angrily, the Didact used his constraint fields to rip the contraption that Korra had been trapped in off its hinges and hurled it at her. Hitting her air shield hard, it pushed the Avatar into the wall hard enough to throw her throughout several upper levels of the control room.

The Didact followed. Chief was outmatched here, there was nothing he could but watch, but he had a plan. He had to wait for an opening.

Once again outside, Korra recovered, her rock and air shield protecting her from being crushed. Her eyes still glowing and rage levels rising, the Avatar attacked the incoming Didact but was easily pushed away when he flew pass her like a speeding bullet. Korra was knocked into the mountainous rocks that surrounded the control room.

"_Your inability to recognize defeat is foolish…but brave at the same time. Once you are finally composed I will at your power to my own._" The Didact said.

Korra roared in rage as she flew at him once more, not expecting it, the Didact was hit hard as Korra's brute strength was amplified by several layers of Forerunner alloys being metalbended over her fists.

While not too damaging, the Didact recognized the dangers that Korra could deliver. If not stopped, this could mean defeat and dishonor. Korra noticed that the Didact's armor was held together by hard light, meaning that it wasn't fixed into his undersuit. Normally, hard light was strong enough to withstand the most powerful of human and Covenant weaponry, especially one at the level of the Didact's. But Korra, thanks to the Librarian's modifications to her Avatar State, was capable of manipulating the alloys within the metal of the combat skin and hard light to small degree. It might not be enough to harm him, but it would good enough to expose him to an opening.

Using her metalbending, Korra pulled into the Didact's combat suit…the Didact felt his chest piece being pulled forward by the Avatar, at first he was dumbfounded but then acted by adapting his armor to the pull of metalbending. But it was late since he had taken his attention off Korra for just a second.

Korra jumped onto the Didact's back and placed her hands over his helmet. She pulled onto it, putting on her fingers into the hole that once was his right eye. Clack! The helmet was pulled completely off the Didact's head…surprised, the Promethean was impressed by the tactical skill that Korra was showing. Even with her age, the Avatar had outsmarted the Ur-Didact himself. A being that had led armies for thousands of years.

"_Brilliant. A move that I had not predicted coming out of you, Avatar Korra. But while our fight continues, the venom in your veins closes in into your heart._" The Didact stated.

Korra indeed felt weaker as time passed, her breath issues becoming more acute as she attacked the seemingly invincible Forerunner. "_Surrender is becoming more like a reasonable option, isn't it not?_" The Didact taunted Korra now they were face to face. No more masks. "_No? Well then…warrior, have your resolution._"

Korra again attacked but was slapped away by the Didact, she landed on the rocks feet first. She heard a snap…bones breaking…grunting in pain, the Avatar used her own power to stand back up and work through the pain. Nevertheless her Avatar State was on overtime, even with the enhancements done by the Librarian…Korra's body could not handle this amount of abuse.

While Korra was incredibly powerful, she was still just human in flesh. Her powers were still nowhere near the level that the Didact's abilities were. She could only do so much against him…but as the Avatar she wouldn't…couldn't allow him to destroy the world she loves…the ones she loves. The poison reached her heart…Korra couldn't feel much of her body but the Avatar State gave her enough power to go on.

One last effort…

The Didact stopped her attack with his hand, holding Korra's flaming fist from reaching his face. "_This is the end._" Didact said.

"I…I wasn't trying to hit your face." Korra said, her voice being two of them…her's and Raava's.

"_What?_" Didact said confused.

Korra's eyes shined even brightly, bringing the Avatar State into its absolute limits, she did the same thing she did to Vaatu….Korra bright her left hand onto the Didact's exposed forehead and energybended the ancient Forerunner.

The Master Chief exited the control room and slid down the control room's slanted walls back into the ground. He found Korra energybending the great Didact, she had stopped him on his tracks. The Didact's energies were powerful, he could literally manipulate his own chi channels and attack Korra's own purposely. In the Avatar State, Korra pushed back…and pushed back as the Didact's power overpowered her own.

Chief noticed that Korra was struggling, her arms and legs shaking...so he did the best next thing. He grabbed the Meta's Brute Shot and charged towards the Didact, and with the Brute Shot's bladed end he hurled it into the Didact's body. The blade passed through the combat skin and through the other side of the Didact's immobile body.

This was enough for Korra to counter attack, her energies flooding in into the Didact's current and disabling the Forerunner. They both fell onto the ground, Korra exited the Avatar State and was motionless.

The Didact had been severely weakened…on his knees, he touched the injury that was on his abdomen. He had been injured…the hole was beginning to repair itself thanks to the combat skin…but his body's spiritual energies had been bested and purified by Korra's own. Weakened, the Didact stood up and stumbled onto the Master Chief's location.

"_Spartan…_" The once great and powerful Forerunner was speechless as he saw the Master Chief standing before him. The Chief ignored him and went to help Korra, he carried her off the ground….her face being reflected off his gold visor. "_The Avatar…her power…_"

Promethean Knights materialized around the Master Chief and the Didact, "Her power is not of this world." The Chief finished the sentence.

Static Carillon floated towards them, "Reclaimer, do you still wish to follow through your plan?" It asked noticing the amount of Promethean Knights that surrounded him.

The Chief looked at Korra, and then at the Didact…his exposed blue eye looking at the most powerful enemy that mankind had ever fought. "_Eons of waiting inside the Cryptum…eons of dwelling in hatred…of just thinking of destruction and death…I have strayed away from the Mantle's teachings._" The Didact said. "_Driven insane by the Parasite…to deliver terror to my own kind. And then…to our Inheritors. Spartan…let my actions speak for themselves. And let them influence your judgment._"

Amazed, Carillon had noticed a change in personality of the Didact. Something had happened to him that his scanners couldn't identify. Around the Promethean Knights, several spirits appeared. They had immigrated from Requiem, found the Halo a better candidate. Among them were several ancient spirits, hovering above the Didact.

"_The spirits as our witness…my own spiritual life being saved by own enemy…as an act…of mercy._" The Didact said.

The Chief carried Korra with one arm, he dropped the Brute Shot on the ground and grabbed his magnum with his right hand. He lifted the safety from the pistol and directly aimed it at the Didact…

"_The Reclamation has already…begun. And we…the Forerunners…are hopeless to stop it._" The Didact said as he closed his eyes.

_**Bang!**_

* * *

**UNSC Infinity**

Fireteam Horus arrived, just in time too! Several marine forces had been eliminated by the invading Insurrectionists. The team rushed towards the engine room to find it locked. "Gah!" Donar yelled.

"Commander, we are outside of the engine room!" Donar yelled through his comm channel. "We need a way to open them!"

Roland responded, "Horus! The gate is sealed, the engines are not back online yet and I can't open them remotely! Blast them!"

"Fine by me." Wulf acknowledged.

"Alright…everyone, body check that door!" Donar ordered his team. They all backpedaled some twenty feet away from the door and then shoulder rammed the gate breaking it off. As soon as they entered they were met by gunfire from several rebels. "Open fire!"

The Spartan IVs fired their weapons, their shields taking most of the damage as they drop several unshielded tangos out. Commander Palmer had been surrounded, hiding behind a large mainframe that connected to the computers that allowed accessed into the engines. Ilsa Zane spotted them… "There she is!" She jumped off from her high ground into the middle of the Spartan team, surprising them.

Being a former Spartan herself, Zane easily dispatched Horus one by one. Using her close quarters training to best the Spartans even in armor. They dropped on the ground, but not Palmer. "You haven't aged a bit, Palmer." Zane said as she blocked many of Palmer's strikes.

"And you have become more of a bitch, Zane!" Palmer retorted, she delivered one good punch at Ilsa. "That's for every hardworking soldier you've killed, traitor."

"Do you know…who you are fighting for? Do you know why I even defected?! Take a really hard look at the people your work for, Sarah! Lasky might not be a bad guy, but he's a puppet! Working for the shadowmasters…those who play with our lives and treat them like pieces of a chess game!" Ilsa responded.

"Another one of your lies!" Palmer attacked Zane, but she avoided it and twisted Palmer's armored arm. "Ahgh!"

"You ever questioned your orders? Or those who give them to you? Naval Intelligence ordered me to kill off an entire planet of people…thousands, Sarah…thousands of innocent people. All because of what? Because one of their agents had gone underground to spill their secrets to the local news outlets there. Because of one man, they judged the life of thousands of innocents." Ilsa revealed, "And you know what I did? I did it. The colony was a clean slate… and when I saw the faces…their faces…covered in blood…in a frozen state of terror…that's when the indoctrination broke, Palmer. I could see pass the supposed glory and honor of being a Spartan…I could see them for who they really are."

"I thought that…it had been nuclear accident…" Palmer said.

"No, Sarah, it was no accident. I turned my back on them, Sarah…and they called me mentally unstable because of the augmentation. The augmentation had a 0.00001% chance of failing…do you really think I'm insane? That I would risk the lives of those who followed me for nothing? No! With the Infinity I would strike back at those who play with our lives and save humanity and the UNSC from themselves!"

Palmer broke off from Ilsa's grip, "I…I don't believe you…I just can't!" Palmer responded.

"Alright then...fight!" Ilsa said.

"Aghhh…Roland…are the engines back yet?" Donar asked the AI.

"They're almost there…" Roland replied.

Palmer and Ilsa were evenly matched, even without a MJOLNIR suit Ilsa was giving Palmer a good fight. They were both in sync, as if their moved had been rehearsed and danced in an elegance only seen when two Spartans sparred together. It was amazing to see for other augmented, but for the average person they were moving fast…very fast.

"Now! The engines are back online!" Roland told Horus team. "There's only a way to bring her out…!"

"Yeah I know…everyone hold on to your asses!" Donar ordered his team, "Commander you better jump out of the opening range!"

"What?!" Ilsa yelled.

Donar ran towards a control terminal and pressed the blast cooling door…below the engines, the massive gates that allowed the engines to cool off in the event they over heated opened. The vacuum of space began to suck the atmosphere within the engine room…Palmer held onto the floor. Ilsa tried her best to hold onto one of the railings, but the sheer pull of outer space pulled her and the entire railing off. "AAAAHHHHHHH!" Zane screamed as she was thrown into space and into a cold death.

Donar sealed the blast doors, ending the moment of turmoil.

Lasky was awaiting confirmation of the Spartans' victory… "Captain, the ship has been secured!" Palmer communicated. The entire bridge cheered while Lasky sighed in relief. The ship could now move, and as if did, the remaining Covenant ships retreated…entering slipspace.

"Huh?" Lasky was a bit confused. "Roland…?"

"Um…we have re-established communications with the Halo…mission complete…" Roland said.

"Why do you sound confused?" Lasky asked again.

"Because the teams weren't able to secure the pulse generators or the library…the Promethean forces just stopped fighting all at once and went into hibernation mode. The Covenant forces surrendered as well." Roland replied.

"That means that they did it." Lasky smiled, "Roland…when I fall asleep don't wake me up for two weeks."

"Heheheh…of course, boss." Roland said.

* * *

**Requiem**

A pelican landed into the Camp Preston Cole, there were teams of marines waiting there. Waiting to welcome their heroes and deliver a big celebration. Commander Keith and Lieutenant Zami were present to see the conquering heroes.

But once the pelican's doors opened…the Master Chief stepped out of the dropship. His armor broken, and his helmet's visor shattered. On his arms he carried Korra, who was not moving…behind them was the rest of Blue Team who were in similar shape. Mako, who was a marine, was there as well...he and Bolin were able to rescue their family from the chaos of Ba Sing Se. He saw Korra being carried away into the medical building, she wasn't breathing…his eyes widened at the thought. The Chief alone entered the medical facility carrying Korra, the marines hadn't cheered…

…the doors behind the Master Chief closed, leaving the world without an Avatar once again.


	17. Appendix

Office of Naval Intelligence Section Zero

Date: April 2nd, 2558

/User: CODENAME: Black Eagle

/Recipient: CODENAME: Baphomet

BL:

Halo ring secured. It has been sterilized, most of the research facilities were indeed full of Flood samples untouched by the Ivanoff scientists.

B:

Good. Tell the others to gather any information from the body of the target.

BL:

That's just it…the armor of the target folded. We can't remove it from the body tissues. Plasma cutters are useless against the armored plates. We could just analyze it for now.

B:

Understood. What about the monitor?

BL:

Recovered. It's been helpful in de-activating the composers found aboard the ring. Aside from that, Fireteam Titan has been very helpful in gathering information from the captured Covenant units that the Marines and Spartans defeated. And the Promethean units are still frozen solid, no way in moving them out without damaging them.

B:

Damn those Forerunners, they do really think of everything. Anyway, I am sure that the Admiral would like the news about our new recruit.

BL:

I had totally forgotten about her. Something new?

B:

She accepted. [REDACTED] is being moved to the UNSC Hell Beneath Us for transport back to Station 066-6 in the Eridanus system.

BL:

Eridanus? Isn't that the new [REDACTED] facility?

B:

Indeed. The Admiral spared no expense. [REDACTED] will be a valuable asset to ONI and the UNSC, we are sure of it.

BL:

Does Section One and Two know anything about this?

B:

They are in the dark. But Section Three has been contacted. They are the ones who are going to work in this new project from now on. If you want to keep a tap on this I suggest in contacting CODENAME: Starlight from Section Three, he is the project lead after all.

BL:

Thank you. I believe you're right…this project might revolutionize our forces if done correctly.

B:

You couldn't be anymore correct about it. Baphomet out.

…

/Communications Ceased

/

/

* * *

_Section Three: Reports on **Project: ORION-V**_

Day 20: Subject implanted with augmentations. Augmentations well received. All injuries healed in a matter of weeks after implantation. For the most part. Unknown substance identified as mercury, quicksilver found in arteries and veins when recovered.

Day 50: Subject has awoken. All looks green and ready for training. Trainer SCPO Manuel P. Ortega contacted from the ODSTs.

Day 60: The MJOLNIR Aegis Mk. III finalized. Materials Group notified.

Day 110: Basic training finalized. Weapon training started. Tactical schooling initialized. Basic schooling commenced. AI Leonidas placed as instructor.

Day 130: No sign of abilities resurfacing.

Day 200: Advanced training and schooling finalized. Subject ready.

Day 202: Armor delivered. Armor testing in-progress. Still no sign of abilities resurfacing.

Day 222: Armor testing finalized. Abilities resurfaced, albeit much weaker and unfocused than before. Subject sent to Arcadia for field testing; mission: to crush possible insurrection movement.

Day 228: Insurrection forces found. All eliminated. The subject is a complete success.

Day 230: Final day. Unit created for subject to lead for the spearhead initiative… _Fireteam Osiris_ at stand-by.

* * *

_From the chair of the Admiral of the Office of Naval Intelligence to the UNSC Oversight Sub-Committee Chairman: _

Dear Chairman,

We have recovered the suit of Agent Maine from the waters of Installation 03. As you wanted, the Freelancer is deceased and the AI aboard it has been contained. The armor has been sent back to you, but I am afraid that it has been damaged. Internal circuitry has been fried, and armor plates dented. But I am confident that the folks over at Charon Industries are more than capable of repairing this old MJOLNIR model. Thank you for your contributions to the Office of Naval Intelligence, Chairman. As a compensation, you will be given models of the recovered Forerunner weaponry: Suppressors, Lightrifles and Incineration Cannons, for you and your firm to analyze and report any findings to us.

Sincerely,

The Admiral

* * *

/

/

/

/

…


End file.
